Escaped Carriage Horse Goes For Wild Run Through Hell's Kitchen
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- How do you stop a runaway horse? One man tried to do so Tuesday in Hell's Kitchen after a carriage horse escaped from a stable and went for a wild run through rush hour traffic.
It was eight minutes of unharnessed freedom for carriage horse as hundreds watched and worried about its safety and their own.
When it was all over she was ready for her closeup, on display outside the Clinton Park stables to show the world "Goldy" wasn't injured.
The runaway horse was feeling her oats, calmly walking along 9th Avenue before breaking into a run on 54th Street.
"I'm like what the hell's going on man," one man told CBS2's Tony Aiello. "I was like, 'wow!'."
"I was also afraid that he was gonna jump over the cars and actually come on the sidewalk," Bedford Stuyvesant resident Tanya Mole said. "I was standing not too far from the cars, I was scared I might be kicked or hit."
Eventually, Goldy hoofed it back to 52nd Street. Video from the scene shows Angel Diaz trying to corral her.
"My instinct was to jump out, 'whoah, calm down'," Diaz said. "I think they just want to be free, I don't think they're being treated right."
Goldy then trotted back to her stable where NYPD officers were waiting.
"Goldy's fine," carriage driver Basil Northam said. "Goldy did one ride today, she came home, had a lot of extra energy, went out for a little runaround. She's back in the stable, she'll be going to work tomorrow, Goldy's fine!"
In February, a carriage horse fell in Central Park. Earlier this month a horse for hire collapsed in traffic. Activist Jill Carnegie says enough is enough.
"We want these horses out of NYC traffic," she tells CBS2. "It's dangerous to the horses themselves and to NYC residents, and we are demanding that city officials take action."
Mayor de Blasio took office promising to ban carriage horses, but his proposal never made it out of the gate at City Council. Drivers say their industry is highly regulated and the horses are well cared for.
