To the editors:
I’m writing to raise the question of and express my opinion about the horse-drawn carriages and their drivers that gather at the Plaza at 59th Street and 5th Avenue and are threatened by the Mayor de Blasio’s pledge to end their work and presence “by the end of the year.” I have been a New Yorker (a Manhattanite who traveled the subway to high school in the Bronx, snuck away on the subway to the Coney Island beach in Brooklyn more than I should have, and ran the 5-borough marathon 8 times) for almost 70 years, and the horses at the Plaza and in Central Park have always been part of my life. I learned to ride at the now-closed Claremont stables on the Upper West Side and rode in Central Park imagining myself in a wilderness, inhaling the thrill and the scent of all four seasons but mostly the warm smell and immensity of the horse itself. For most of the years I ran in Central Park I also loved the shared use of the bridle path with horses and riders. I have listened carefully to the arguments against the carriages and read articles about the issues often. I have decided that I support the well-protected and regulated continuation of the horses, the drivers, and the carriages and the re-opening of equally humane and well-run stables in Manhattan and other boroughs where they no longer exist.
Since we at Hewitt are engaged in every aspect of the life of our city, this is something we should also consider as worthy of our attention and opinion. To make the case effectively and also offer wonderful suggestions regarding the expansion of the horse-human experience to include the autistic and physically and intellectually challenged children and adults, and to maintain the iconic large animal presence in the life of one of the greatest cities in the world, I recommend this article by Liam Neeson from the NYT of April 14: Carriages Belong in Central Park.
Nancy Gallin
Chair of Department of History and Social Sciences
The Hewitt School