Here's A Horse Running Wild Through The Streets Of Manhattan

A new video shows a horse running wild through the streets of Manhattan, and a group of activists say it’s even more evidence that New York City should ban horse carriages once and for all.

The video was uploaded to Youtube by the anti-carriage group New Yorkers for Clean, Livable and Safe Streets (NYCLASS). It shows a horse trotting freely on Eleventh Avenue near 37th Street at about 8:30 a.m. Sunday, as two NYPD patrol cars give chase. Near the end of the short clip, it appears that the two cop cars attempt to box in the animal against a building.

According to the New York Post, the horse was being bathed at a Midtown stable when it ran free from its handler. Officers were eventually able to control the horse and return it to its stable.

"This is the latest example of why horse drawn carriages are not just inhumane but entirely unsafe in a city congested with cars, trucks and buses,” Allie Feldman, Executive Director of NYCLASS, said in a statement. “It's time for the City Council to act and get the carriage horses off the streets of New York City."

Stephen Mallone, a carriage driver and industry spokesperson, told HuffPost in a statement that “the horse is fine and back at work today. We thank the NYPD for its assistance in corralling the horse.”

Mayor Bill de Blasio promised during his campaign to ban carriage horses during his first month in office. In September, more than nine months after assuming office, he told reporters that “we’re about to see legislation introduced” regarding carriage horses. City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito said any vote on a bill banning horse carriages probably wouldn’t happen until next year.

The New York Daily News and actor Liam Neeson mounted aggressive campaigns earlier this year to save the carriage horse industry, with both campaigns arguing it provides good jobs.