Carriage horse breaks free, runs through rush hour traffic in NYC

NEW YORK (CBS) A carriage horse escaped from a stable Tuesday and went for a wild run through rush hour traffic in Manhattan’s Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood, CBS New York reports.

It was eight minutes of unharnessed freedom for the carriage horse known as Goldy, as hundreds watched and worried about her safety and their own.

The runaway horse was feeling her oats, calmly walking along Ninth Avenue before breaking into a run on 54th street.

“I’m like, ‘What the hell’s going on, man?'” one man told CBS New York. “I was like, ‘Wow!'”

“I was also afraid that he was going to jump over the cars and actually come on the sidewalk,” Bedford-Stuyvesant resident Tanya Mole said. “I was standing not too far from the cars. I was scared I might be kicked or hit.”

Eventually, Goldy hoofed it back to 52nd street. Video from the scene shows Angel Diaz trying to corral her.

“My instinct was to jump out, ‘Whoa, calm down,'” Diaz said. “I think they just want to be free. I don’t think they’re being treated right.”

Goldy then trotted back to her stable where NYPD officers were waiting. When it was all over, she was ready for her closeup outside the Clinton Park stables.

“Goldy’s fine,” carriage driver Basil Northam said. “Goldy did one ride today, she came home, had a lot of extra energy, went out for a little runaround. She’s back in the stable, she’ll be going to work tomorrow. Goldy’s fine!”

In February, a carriage horse fell in Central Park. Earlier this month, a horse for hire collapsed in traffic. Activist Jill Carnegie said enough is enough.

“We want these horses out of NYC traffic,” she told CBS New York. “It’s dangerous to the horses themselves and to NYC residents, and we are demanding that city officials take action.”

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio took office promising to ban carriage horses, but his proposal never made it out of the gate at City Council. Drivers say their industry is highly regulated and the horses are well cared for.