What to Know
- A startled horse bolted down Central Park South earlier in the month, smashing into three parked cars before being brought under control
- An animal rights group said it was the second such incident in recent weeks, but the carriage company said the accidents are rare
- The three passengers suffered minor injuries and now the horse has a new home and is retired
The New York City carriage horse that was spooked by a screaming pedestrian with an umbrella, crashing into three cars and injuring three people, has retired.
Officials say the 10-year-old horse named Arthur was near Central Park on Feb. 4 when he was frightened and took off running. The startled horse bolted forward and its handler lost control, police said. The horse galloped down the street with the passengers aboard and struck three parked cars before it was contained. Police said the handler was outside the carriage at the time. The injuries were minor.
Blue Star Equiculture, a Palmer, Massachusetts sanctuary that specializes in carriage horse retirement, took in Arthur soon after the crash.
An NYC carriage horse industry spokesperson says the sanctuary has the resources to give Arthur the care he needs.
Christina Hansen, a spokeswoman for the carriage industry group Historic Horse-Drawn Carriages of Central Park, said in a statement after the incident that horses remain the safest form of vehicles in Midtown in terms of collisions per miles traveled.
“Everyone in the carriage industry works everyday to ensure the safety of our horses, our passengers and the public, and our record speaks for itself,” Hansen said. “That every single accident we have is considered news is a testament to the safety of our industry.”
