Horses Without Carriages International www.horseswithoutcarriages.org

The officer, Brian Coll, was on patrol in Central Park shortly before midnight on Wednesday when he noticed a horse struggling to pull the weight of the carriage to which it was yoked. He questioned the driver, Saverio Colarusso, and learned that the horse, Blondie, had been hurt for four days, according to court documents. Despite the injury, Mr. Colarusso had worked Blondie for five hours that day, Officer Coll testified in the complaint. He then summoned Sgt. Raymond Aviles, a mounted police officer with training in dealing with horses. "The horse had an injury to the rear left leg," Officer Coll testified, "causing it to have difficulty walking and substantial pain." Mr. Colarusso was arrested. If found guilty, he could face a fine of up to $1,000 and a year in jail.

It is not the first time Mr. Colarusso has gotten in trouble. In 2010, he was charged with drinking while on duty after being spotted drinking a beer while standing next to his carriage. Two other bottles of liquor were found inside the carriage. He has also been fined for driving his horse through city streets at unauthorized times, failing to keep a daily log and not turning on the lamps on the side of his carriage after dark. CONTINUED.

Note: Tony Salerno, manager of West Side Livery stable, told me that this driver has not been working for West Side for several months and now works for Clinton Stables on W. 52nd St. This is where Blondie lived and most likely picked up thrush.

It may be bad news for an industry that's seen a great deal of opposition recently, as Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio supports a plan to get rid of the carriage rides.

My comment: The laws governing the trade are barely or not enforced. We believe it was a fluke that Officer Coll was astute enough to notice something wrong. We also believe this happens all the time and no one cares. If there were a posse of NYPD or ASPCA officers out on the job monitoring the horses and not being afraid of a law suit, there would have been many, many more charges of animal cruelty. But a posse is absurd and is not practical or economical. This business simply needs to be shut down and the horses saved.

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If you would like to testify at the Forum please contact Senator Avella's Legislative Counsel, Rebecca A. Sheehan, at 718-357-3094. Please note that you should limit your testimony to 3 minutes and please bring 10 copies of your testimony with you on January 17th.