NYC horse-drawn carriage with plate #1141.
Horse carriage plate #1141 is a mystery. It clearly exists as evidenced by this photo of the carriage on Central Park South.
But it does not exist in the Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA) database of license plates. There are 68 horse-drawn carriages working in NYC, identified by a 4-digit license plate, which is affixed to the back of the horse carriage as shown above. This total quantity of 68 has never changed since they were first issued in the late 1940s.
Until possibly now.
Recently a tourist from California contacted the
Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages to tell us about a driver she saw hit his horse with a whip. She included a picture of the carriage and the horse. This is what she said:
"On April 8 my husband and I were jogging through the Park when we both saw the carriage in question coming toward us and we remarked that the horse was limping - as the carriage passed us (on a significant incline) the driver forced the horse into a trot up the incline with some kind of short whip - as I watched, the horse tried to turn his head and upper body toward the driver - and received another switching in response. The horse was clearly struggling to pull the weight up the incline."
This tourist goes on to say that the incident occurred about
10:00 am. She reached out to us and asked about reporting it. But how does one report such an incident when the only identifying mark – the license plate - does not exist in the DCA system? I looked through my records, previously received from the Department of Consumer Affairs through the Freedom of Information Law (FOIL), which were lists of license plates dated 2010, 2011, 2014 and most recently, December 2015. The lists always added up to 68 pates, but #1141 was not on any of the lists.
I sent the complaint to the Mayor’s office, copying the complainant. They were not only no help but actually suggested that this might be a false report and that the NYPD “treats false reports as serious crimes.”
Wow – that is pretty big talk coming from someone who has done nothing to make sure that street laws regulating the carriage trade are enforced. There was also no mention of the fact that Plate #1141 does not exist in the DCA database and it would be impossible to make such a report. Isn’t resolving these kinds of animal issues the job of the person hired by the Mayor's office?
Simply outrageous.
The tourist was not too pleased with this response letting the Mayor's office representative know that she was insulted by his veiled threat that the NYPD "takes false reports as a serious crime." She went on to say that after researching the laws and incident reports for the carriage industry in NYC, she was "appalled by the disregard for both the welfare of the horses and the safety of the public by those who are supposed to regulate it. The lack of concern specifically by the Mayor's office is unconscionable."
Yup! way to go Mayor's office. Insult tourists who spend money in this city because you are afraid of the unions and carriage drivers.
If anyone thinks the Mayor is serious now or ever was about banning horse-drawn carriages – I have a bridge to sell you that connects Manhattan to Brooklyn. It is not far from City Hall.
There are a few possible scenarios concerning the mysterious plate #1141
1. it is counterfeit - the 69th medallion
2. It is a mistake and either the plate is wrong and should be 1114 -- or the DCA is wrong and recorded it as 1114 when it should be 1141.
Nevertheless - why has this not been caught by the "enforcers" on the street – ASPCA officers when they were active or representatives of the Department of Consumer Affairs.
Surely there is required paperwork that needs to be submitted periodically – a back and forth between the Department of Consumer Affairs and the medallion owners. In at least six years has no one noticed this discrepancy?
Whatever the answer to this curious situation, it shows that no one in authority is minding the store and the drivers get to do whatever they choose without being punished or suffering any consequences.
MAJOR PROBLEM: The obvious and main problem with undocumented or white washed license plates (of which we have complained many times to no avail) is that there is no way to report a violation or abuse.
The picture below is the horse in question. He/she is a standbred as evidenced by her size and body type and the branded tattoo number on her right neck, although the tattoo of 7CC68 does not conform to typical standardbred tattoos and was not searchable on the site of the US Trotting Association. Another mystery. These horses are generally used in harness racing and are breakdowns from the track. They are not used to the slow paced, boring but dangerous life of pulling tourists in Central Park -- and standing bored at the hack line waiting for customers. They often become very agitated, pawing the ground with their hooves.
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If you see a horse in distress or a law being violated, the best thing to do is to call 911 or the Central Park precinct
212-570-4820 so it can hopefully be addressed in real time.
Document the violation. This means taking a photo of the incident; horse, carriage, driver and most important - the license plate on the rear of the carriage. Record the time and location - this is also very important. Without it there is not much that can be done.
if you see a problem with a horse, try to get the horse's 4-digit hoof number, which is always on the front left hoof. This allows us to look up the horse's information, report the injury or violation, and to follow up on it.
Send this information to us at
coalition@banhdc.org so that we can report the violation to the appropriate agencies, or help you to do it. If you are not sure if a law was violated, let us know anyway so we can make a determination.
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WHAT YOU CAN DO IF YOU ARE A NEW YORKER.
Call your Council Member's district office. Ask to speak with the Chief of Staff or Legislative Aide. They are public servants and work for us. If you leave a telephone number for a call back, chances are it will not happen. Let us know if you have any success. Don't bother e-mailing their office - it will be deleted.
Ask them if they are aware that the carriage drivers often ignore the law and get away with it. Are they doing anything to prevent this? Why are they supporting this tiny industry at the expense of the public safety of New Yorkers.
