The Truth Revealed About Those Romantic Carriage Rides.

#1 You May Have Taken A Carriage Ride Before

Chances are you've been to Central Park, or somewhere in a major city that offers romantic horse and carriage rides around town, and considered riding while you take in the sights. Maybe you did take that ride. Maybe you even looked at the beautiful horses and wondered if they were alright tromping around on pavement...but ultimately came to the conclusion that, of course, they have to be okay because the city allows it. Right? The fact is, the horses are not regulated as much as you may think..

#2 It Seems Like A Romantic Gesture

It seems like a fun family activity or a romantic gesture for that loving couple to relive the days of yore by riding along in a horse drawn carriage.

#3 The Horses Are In Constant Danger On Busy Streets

But the truth is, the 220 or so NYC carriage horses are living torturous lives. And that is in NYC alone. The sad fact is that the horses aren't meant to live or work in these conditions. They're easily spooked: car horns, giant busses, bikers whizzing past...they're all huge triggers to these poor animals who are not treated that well by the caregivers of carriage drivers.

#4 Many Horses Are Dying Because Of This Work In Major Cities

An average day for a carriage horse is hard work and causes tremendous stress of their bodies and feet. They are not fed properly and normally are not given as much water as required to do the job they are doing, pulling around people for over 10 hours.

#5 BanHorseCarriages.NYC Was Started In Honor Of One Horse Named Charlie

One famous NYC horse was killed doing his job. On October 23, 2011, Charlie dropped dead on 54th Street while lugging a carriage around Manhattan. This prompted animal lovers to start a petition to stop this from ever happening again. They opened a web page as well.

#6 A Second Horse Dies From Exhaustion Later That Year

However, later that year, another horse, Luke passed out on 60th Street that same year. He lay there on the street for over 15 minutes while the busy traffic passed by like nothing happened. But Luke was dead from exhaustion.

#7 The Treatment Of The Horses Is Considered Inhumane

This is how the trainers feed the overworked horses that pull around passengers. They eat from the ground wherever and whenever it fit's in the schedule between rides. They seldom get water and are so tired they collapse after a long day on the pavement in all weather conditions.

#8 Traffic Frightens The Horses And Causes Undo Stress

Some horses have been known to bolt down streets out of fear, carriage drivers are responsible for countless hit-and-runs accidents. Bicyclists and pedestrians have been struck by horses that aren't used to this kind of environment. Many times, horses have gotten loose and have gone "missing," or have been killed after mysterious injuries.

#9 It's Not As Romantic As It Seems, Is It?

So while it looks romantic, especially at night with a new lover or date, no animal should live like this. There is no reason to keep these horses on the streets and let them be overworked and pass out in the heat just for tourist enjoyment. Overworked, underfed, and in heavy traffic, it's inhumane to treat these horses like this. You can support the cause by visiting the New York "Stop Carriage Rides" site at http://www.nyclass.org/horse_drawn_carriages

This is not limited to New York. Horses are in the same situation in places like Atlanta, Charlotte, Miami, Nashville, Chicago, and other metro areas where sight seeing is a draw.