Whipped while down: The dark side of horse-drawn carriages in the world's top tourist city

A horse that collapsed while pulling a carriage in Central Park, New York. [Captured from PETA website]

"People whipping a horse that had already collapsed."

A carriage carrying tourists came to a halt. The horse pulling it alone had fallen onto the road. The driver immediately cracked a whip and shouted at the animal to get back up.

The horse struggled to rise but ultimately could not. Completely spent, it never recovered and was later euthanized.

Carriage drivers wait for customers in Central Park, New York. [EPA]

The scene unfolded in Central Park — New York City, widely regarded as the world's top tourist destination. Horse-drawn carriages have been a signature New York attraction for more than 150 years. But behind that image lies a trail of suffering for the animals.

The harm is not limited to horses. In June, a horse and a person died just eight days apart, reigniting a fierce public debate.

Horses have in effect lost their role as a mode of transportation, yet they are still used for tourist carriages, horse racing and other forms of entertainment — and allegations of abuse have never stopped.

The problem is not confined to a handful of countries or cities. Around the world, including in South Korea, debate continues over how far the use of animals for tourism and entertainment should be permitted.

In New York, carriage-related traffic accidents and fatalities involving both horses and people have occurred repeatedly over the years. Then in 2022, the case of Ryder — a horse that collapsed and died while pulling a carriage on a Manhattan street — drew widespread attention and sparked calls for a ban.

This photo is not directly related to the specific content of the article. [EPA]

According to a report by the New York City Bar Association, on Aug. 10, 2022, with temperatures in New York reaching 31 degrees Celsius, a carriage horse named Ryder collapsed on a Manhattan street. Video of the stricken horse and the driver's response spread widely and triggered a major controversy.

In footage from the scene, the driver pulled on the reins and repeatedly shouted "Get up." According to animal welfare groups, witnesses testified that the driver used a whip in an attempt to force Ryder to stand. The incident escalated into a legal matter and became a flashpoint in the broader debate.

The scene of a carriage accident in Central Park, New York. [Captured from PETA website]

The incident became a new catalyst in New York's carriage debate. In its immediate aftermath, the New York State Senate introduced a bill to ban carriage operations. The legislation never became law and expired at the end of the legislative session.

Accidents continued. In August 2025, a carriage horse named Lady collapsed in the heart of Manhattan. This past January, a runaway carriage horse bolted into traffic in the middle of a city street and collided with five vehicles.

An overturned carriage in Central Park, New York. [Captured from PETA website]

The debate was reignited decisively by two incidents in June. On June 9, a carriage horse named Denise collapsed and died while carrying passengers. Eight days later, on June 17, a tourist fell from a carriage and was rushed to hospital, where they later died.

A report released at a related hearing found that from August 1982 through June 2026, 96 confirmed carriage-related accidents had occurred in New York, with 40 horses killed. Horses broke free and bolted in 31 incidents; in 15 of those cases, passengers, drivers or bystanders were injured.

Some have called for tighter regulations to create more humane working conditions. New York City already has rules governing working hours, age limits and rest periods for carriage horses. The animals may work a maximum of nine hours a day, with designated rest breaks, age restrictions and recovery time built into the regulations.

Advocates for an outright ban, including the New York City Bar Association, counter that tighter regulation alone cannot guarantee truly humane conditions. Even if water access, veterinary care, stabling and working hours are all regulated, they argue, the chaos of congested city streets and horses' instinctive, unpredictable behavior cannot be eliminated.

A horse falling during an Under Tack Show. [Captured from PETA website]

The New York City Council is currently debating a bill that would ban carriage operations from June 2028. Animal rights group PETA said horses "are not born to pull carriages and it is never a comfortable experience for them," adding that "public sentiment for ending carriage rides is stronger than ever."

Carriages are far from the only way horses are used for human entertainment. Similar controversy surrounds the Under Tack Show, a fixture of the American horse racing industry in which horses are timed at top speed before auction — faster times translate directly into higher prices.

The concern is that young horses whose bones have not yet fully developed are being pushed to run at maximum speed, leading to broken necks and legs. Critics warn that forcing horses into extreme short-distance sprints places excessive stress on their joints, bones and muscles. (Related article: "This is too horrific" — a young horse made to sprint at full speed with a rider [What Does the Earth Say?])

In Japan, a form of draft-horse racing known as Ban'ei — in which horses weighing up to a ton pull iron sleds of up to a ton in a test of strength — is held annually and has drawn controversy. Proponents in the region describe it as a traditional sport that carries on the farming-horse culture of Hokkaido's pioneering era.

Ban'ei horse racing. [Captured from PETA website]

The animal welfare debate flared anew in 2021 following an incident involving a young horse named Donan Hime. Video emerged showing a jockey kicking the face of a two-year-old filly that had stumbled and refused to clear the second obstacle during a performance test, reigniting arguments over the format of the competition and the treatment of animals.

In South Korea, an animal abuse controversy recently erupted after footage emerged of a horse pulling a tourist carriage in Yangyang, Gangwon Province. The horse was seen operating late into the night during a stretch of hot weather with temperatures exceeding 30 degrees Celsius.

A horse pulling a carriage in Yangyang, Gangwon Province. [Captured from Threads]

Meanwhile, a number of places have already moved to restrict or ban horse-drawn carriage tourism. London and Oxford in the United Kingdom, Chicago in the United States, and Montreal in Canada have banned or phased out tourist carriage operations. Industries with a larger economic footprint, such as horse racing, remain the subject of ongoing debate. Some countries have restricted specific events, but an outright national ban on conventional horse racing has yet to be seen anywhere.

Calls are growing to ban the use of horses for entertainment altogether. In a statement, PETA said the horse racing industry conceals "a grim reality of injuries, drug abuse, horrific accidents and slaughter," describing racehorses as victims of "a multibillion-dollar industry rife with drug abuse, injuries and race-fixing."

woo@heraldcorp.com