HELL'S KITCHEN — A carriage horse got loose from a West 52nd Street stable and ran around the streets while pedestrians and workers chased after it, according to witnesses.
Goldie, a 12-year-old female horse, ran out of the Clinton Park Stable at about 5 p.m. and sprinted west on 52nd Street toward 12th Avenue, workers said. The horse ran around for about 10 to 15 minutes before returning to the stable on her own.
Tonya Mole, 23, said she was on West 52nd Street when she saw Goldie run back while workers tried to grab her.
"I was scared, I though the horse was going to jump over the cars onto the sidewalk."
The horse appeared calm when workers brought her out to the street for reporters to see.
"Goldie went out for a little trot — she had extra energy," said carriage horse driver Basil Northam, 60, before adding that she returned unharmed on her own.
"She ran up the stable and had some hay."
Video courtesy Tonya Mole
The escape triggered criticism from animal rights advocates — including NYCLASS, which helped elect Mayor Bill de Blasio in exchange for a vow to end the carriage horse industry.
The mayor briefly reached a compromise with the union that represents horse carriage drivers that allowed them to continue to operate as long as the horses only pulled carriages inside Central Park.
But the deal was scrapped after the union backed out.
"Enough is enough," NYCLASS said in a statement. "Mayor de Blasio needs to remove his blinders and take immediate action to ensure this never happens again.”
The mayor's office said in a statement that “This incident is yet another example of why Mayor de Blasio remains committed to getting carriage horses off the streets of NYC. No mayor in the city's history has worked harder to protect horses than Bill de Blasio.”
OMG!! Runaway Horse on w54th #NYC hope the Police catch him. Made it through 2 intersections #OrangeRoom @nbc @TODAYshow #urbancowboy #nypd pic.twitter.com/j5YFCtHhZr
— befedagain (@befedagain) May 30, 2017
