NYC horse carriages refuse animal testing, prompting threat of lawsuit or suspension by city
The city’s “standard full horse examinations” were planned to include trotting to check for lameness and blood tests for medications such as painkillers.
“What we have here is industry-wide collusion to prevent an independent vet from properly examining these horses,” said Randy Mastro, calling the widespread refusal “illegal” and “gravely concerning.”
“This should be routine. If there was nothing to hide, why did every owner refuse these commonly administered tests?” Mastro added. City Hall, under Mayor Adams, is exploring ways to compel drivers to comply with testing, he said.
Potential measures include court-ordered examinations, suspending individual licenses, or temporarily halting the carriage industry in the boroughs until testing can be completed.
John Samuelsen, president of the labor union representing the carriage horse drivers, argued that the group has “nothing to hide” and would welcome “a truly independent review by equine veterinarians affiliated with major universities.” He also claimed the vet City Hall hired is biased against the industry.
“They should take blood from Eric Adams because Randy Mastro obviously has him doped up,” Samuelsen said, responding to the threat of legal action.
Another union representative said, “We’re not against legitimate outside experts coming in. We’ve got nothing to hide — we look forward to working with the next administration.”
The city-hired veterinarian, Dr. Kraig Kulikowski, has been described as “our veterinarian” by anti-carriage-horse nonprofit Equine Advocates, according to the Daily News. A City Hall spokesperson said Kulikowski was the only applicant with the necessary qualifications during the November bidding period for the $20,000 contract.
There are roughly 200 carriage horses across the five boroughs, all of which are already examined by private veterinarians every six months, the spokesperson added.
However, Mastro, who previously represented anti-carriage-horse group NYCLASS, argued that independent oversight has never occurred. Kulikowski was still able to observe some horses, identifying concerning signs, including scars from ill-fitting equipment that “imply some signs of abuse,” Mastro said.
“Just from a physical examination, [the vet] concluded that one horse should be taken out of service — and the owner immediately provided a report from a hand-picked vet claiming the horse was fine,” he said.
“Kulikowski determined every horse needed re-examination, including blood tests and trotting assessments… and not a single owner responded,” Mastro said. Samuelsen noted that the horse recommended for removal was cleared as “fit to proceed” by another vet the following day.
Regarding the scars, the union president explained that many horses arrive from Amish country, where they perform heavy labor, and some injuries may occur when stabled in the city. “They are harnessed by professional stable staff,” he said.
Mastro said Kulikowski was hired following incidents this summer in Central Park where carriage horses ran loose, posing a public safety risk. Mayor Adams criticized the industry as an outdated vestige of old New York “that no longer works for our city.”
Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, who will take office Jan. 1, has previously expressed support for both a ban on the carriages and the creation of a panel to study the decades-old industry.
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