NEW YORK CITY — A horse in midtown Manhattan found himself wedged under a cab after suddenly getting spooked while being ridden along a busy city street.
The morning of May 15, two men were seen riding the horses up Eighth Avenue near 56th street, when the brown one, Billy, suddenly freaked out. Frightened, Billy the horse ran backwards down the street, going against traffic. The horse then bucked, throwing his rider to the ground. At that moment, witnesses say a taxi van drove up behind and collided with Billy, trapping his front left leg underneath the vehicle.
The men riding the horses then worked to pull Billy out from under the cab, and get him back on his feet. Passersby took photos and videos of the scene following the accident, showing the horse was able to walk out from the street, though a bit gingerly.
One pedestrian said a veterinarian on site did check Billy for major injuries, and claimed he was fine. The pedestrian did admit he was shocked to see Billy’s handlers put the saddle back on him. The men proceeded to quickly check Billy’s hooves out, give him a few pats on the head, and go back on their way.
Billy was formerly a horse-drawn carriage horse, but has more recently been used to provide $150 horseback rides in Central Park. Unsurprisingly, horses forced to work in New York’s chaotic conditions run into these kinds of accidents every so often, which has led animal activists to work to have the industry shut down.
During his political campaign, New York City Mayor Bill DeBlasio said if elected, he would end horse-drawn carriages in his first week on the job. More than three years later, the carriages remain, and horses still walk the highly-trafficked midtown streets.
