Carriage Horses

Carriage horses are horses that pull wheeled vehicles. The practice is a popular tourist attraction in New York City, where between 150 and 200 horses still pull carriages through Manhattan.

The practice has a long history in New York City. By the late 1800s, it was the dominant form of transportation in the city, with New Yorkers taking over 100 million horsecar trips a year and somewhere between 100,000 and 150,000 horses prowling its streets.

As automobiles became cheaper to produce, horses were largely replaced by cars and buses. Today, the industry is heavily scrutinized for alleged abuse and inhumane living conditions, though carriage operators argue they provide an important service for the city.