Danger Ahead -- NYC carriage driver being reckless

This driver is seen on a warm springlike day driving a horse-drawn carriage with his back to the horse, turned nearly completely around. This was typical of the scene on the 72nd Street east-west transverse, approaching the famous Bethesda Fountain. Is this really so reckless, you may ask? Yes, because there is so much here to spook a horse. This area is packed with skateboarders, pedicabs, runners, wheelchairs, bicyclists, jaywalkers, and even vehicles. It is a very high-traffic area and nearby is a very high-risk area for runners, who have been struck by bicyclists. One of the most congested areas in the park, and this kind of behavior is an accident waiting to happen. I sure as hell wouldn't want to be the passengers in this carriage. Keep in mind also that Central Park doesn't need much of an excuse to have a fireworks display: New Year's Eve, July Fourth, and every single concert given by the New York Philharmonic, to name a few. On those days, the horses are working, as always.

See also: Tourists Overcharged on the channel "HorsesinNYC."

Category:

Travel & Events

Tags:

• carriage horse
• Central Park carriage
• horse-drawn carriage
• New York tourist ripoff

[darci99]

OK, First off, this driver probably knows his horse better than you do...

Secondly, this is not "reckless". You have shown 13 seconds of a video of a horse going through a PARK. This horse is probably a "steady eddy" and not a spooky horse, otherwise the driver wouldn't feel comfortable doing that.

[DriversRunninScared]

You obviously know nothing about horses! they spook! And a crowded park is a bad place to do this! No horse is a "steady eddy." What the driver "feels comfortable with" is not my concern. Endangerment of the public safety is, and the politicians must be concerned with that.

[murphy60083]

Actually, what I see is a nicely working carriage horse doing its job. We make our money by entertaining, and a good partner does the driving while I do the talking. Nothing reckless here. Did you see an accident?

[mulelover93]

If you are concerned with the publics safety you should attack the dangerousness of walking across crosswalks.Have you ever tried walking across a sidewalk b/c they are more dangerous then a carriage horse.If you knew anything about horses you would know that these horse are extremely well trained and sacked out before they come to the city,so the likely hood of them spooking is pretty much null.

[mulelover93]

Okay, I know this driver and rode with him, he is a very experienced driver and his horse is extremely well trained. He trains his horses prior to ever letting people on his carriages so even if he took his hands off and put them up in the air the horse would not spoke or run away. He also always had a hand on the reins, and as a fellow driver I know that you can feel the horse through the reins. If you are going to accuse somebody of something you should have all of your facts straight.

[critterrescue1]

@SaraSindari -- Sometimes passengers ask lots of questions. Would you ignore them if they did?

[KnightNotice]

that horse probably has a daily routeen and does the same thing ever day so it knows exactly what to do... so calm down

[SaraSindari]

@DriversRunninScared gonna have to agree with darci99 on this one. a horse that isn't "bombproof" isn't gonna make it in the carriage business. There are "steady eddys", I own one. Hasn't done a THING in 13 years and I'd do the same with him (if he were even built to pull a carriage) as the driver because I know him inside and out and we trust each other. On the other hand, I wouldn't be bothering my passengers either.

[Seldenta]

@DriversRunninScared

Wow buddy. I worked with carriage horses for a short period, and all three of them pulled the carriages around a town and didn't spook about people walking by, cars, bikes, ect. Infact they were easy going. What I see is a horse doing a great job and the driver has his hand on the lines as well.

[MacabreMikolaj]

*snorts* If the horse was going to get spooked by ANY of that shit, he wouldn't be a NYC carriage horse. That's a pretty lame excuse to try to trash somebody's horse is doing a perfect job, just as he should.

[swiftnshift]

oh yeah real dangerous lol

[ke4cpc]

The driver has his hands on the lines, he is feeling his horse through the lines while he is carrying on a convo with his riders. If the horse were to spook, upset or even alert to another horse, the driver will be able to feel it. This is just one of many ways a horse and a driver are connected. Horses aren't mindless automobiles that go careening off when you let go of the wheel. Horses are mindful of their routine and need little or no guidance past that.

[ambulancegrrrl]

I have been driving carriages in busy traffic for around 17yrs and I'm not saying I have never turned around to speak with my passengers but not like that. And if anyone has ever had a runaway they wouldn't think this was ok. Any horse can spook and any horse can run. Believe it.