PETA & NYCLASS Plan Rally After Carriage Horse Owners Block City Vet Exams
Animal rights advocates are planning a rally outside City Hall in Lower Manhattan on Tuesday after carriage horse owners allegedly blocked a city-appointed veterinarian from examining horses, prompting renewed calls to ban the controversial industry.
The rally is scheduled for noon and is being led by advocacy groups including New Yorkers for Clean, Livable, and Safe Streets (NYCLASS) and the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). Organizers say the protest comes in direct response to recent actions by carriage horse operators who refused to allow a state-licensed veterinarian, hired by New York City, to conduct mandatory health and welfare examinations.
According to city officials, it was illegal for the carriage horse owners to prevent the exams. The veterinarian had been tasked with performing basic health assessments, which included trotting horses to assess for lameness and conducting blood tests to detect any potential drug use. Despite being denied full access to the animals, the veterinarian still managed to identify signs of possible neglect.
The findings have amplified calls from animal welfare groups to end horse-drawn carriage rides in the city. “This blatant interference with veterinary evaluations not only defies city regulations, it endangers the health and safety of these horses,” said representatives from NYCLASS.
PETA echoed those sentiments and joined in demanding an immediate shutdown of the carriage horse trade in New York City.
Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, who will assume office soon, has previously expressed support for both a ban on horse-drawn carriages and a broader review of the longstanding industry. His stance has added momentum to the animal rights campaign, especially as concerns over the treatment, regulation, and future of carriage horses in urban environments continue.
Tuesday’s rally is set to draw attention to what advocacy groups describe as repeated neglect and obstruction by the carriage horse industry. Protesters are expected to call on the incoming administration to follow through on promises to more strictly scrutinize and potentially eliminate the practice of horse-drawn tourism in the city.