Don't Believe Everything You Hear About the Central Park Carriage Rides: Part 1

          Let’s put this out there first-

          No zoo, circus or park is perfect.  I never said they were and that’s why you need one thing- REGULATIONS.  If you have solid regulations, you always have a watchdog who will be there TO CORRECT something that is wrong.  Now, with that being said, just take a moment and listen to me.

          Don’t believe every single thing you hear from an animal rights group about the Central Park carriage rides.

          First off, as a frequent visitor to New York City (for work, etc.), I am in awe of how perfect Central Park looks.  All involved working there should be COMMENDED for the perfect environment there.  You can tell that it’s well-taken care of due to the simple fact that there are so many birds in the area (including the famous Mandarin Duck).  The place is beautiful, and a lot of native New Yorkers agree.  You can always find someone jogging, relaxing or playing with their dog.

          But…

          The funny thing about Central Park is that it doesn’t seem as crowded as it did in the 1990s.  Sure, the tourists are there but it is indeed amazing how much people love their cell phones.  As a matter of fact, it’s almost disturbing.  There are two things though that really help tourism in Central Park; the Mandarin Duck and carriage rides.

          *GASP*

          Omigod did you just compliment Central Park carriage rides?  Omigod- you know you’re not allowed to do that.  Ernt…incorrect-

          I’m not openly complimenting them, I’m giving all these Central Park carriage drivers a round of applause- as a matter of fact make it a standing ovation.  Why? 

          I have never seen these horses looking so good.  Granted in the last couple of years I noticed that they just keep looking better and better but this time they left me in awe.  To watch them go through the park and a relaxed pace, enjoying the surprisingly mild weather under perfectly groomed trees made a person smile.  It was great to see them just patiently waiting for business as well, you were able to pat a lot of them and no one had a problem with taking photos.  Observations and questions showed me that a lot of them worked in shifts in order for them not to get overwhelmed and breaks were regular.  Trust me, all of them seemed to be enjoying their Christmas breaks.  So, why am I telling you all of this?

          After taking a carriage ride, it was a pleasure to get information from one of the drivers.  It was interesting to hear that a lot of these horses came from the Amish.  Secondly, it was great to hear well-regulated they were.  Third, it was just nice to have my observations confirmed that these horses do have a good life.  Despite the harassment they get from A LOT OF PIOUS INDIVIDUALS these horses are WORK HORSES.  They’re well-taken care of and enjoy working.  The price of a Central Park carriage ride is high but damn it was well-worth it.  So, what’s the overall point here?

          Do any of you know how rotten the Amish are to horses?  Well, do you?  I doubt it very much.  If they shut down any of these carriage rides 2 things would happen:

1.      They would go to the glue factory or:

2.     They would die of overwork in a lousy barn on some Pennsylvania farm.

As of right now, I’m going to leave you with this but come back tomorrow for more of a viewpoint on why you shouldn’t believe everything you hear about Central Park carriage rides.