[Genoa]

Cool! I often wonder what it would be like to live in a city where all of the horse power is fueled by oats.

[null and void]

Mind the music and your step...

[Genoa]

Cool! I often wonder what it would be like to live in a city where all of the horse power is fueled by oats.
And in a world where petroleum is not a factor in international relations.

[Citizen Blade]

Cool! I often wonder what it would be like to live in a city where all of the horse power is fueled by oats.

Not so great. Smelly and squishy, mostly. There's a reason New York brownstones were built with their entrances a half-level above the street.

[r9etb]

Cool! I often wonder what it would be like to live in a city where all of the horse power is fueled by oats.

Stinky, apparently, and extremely unhealthy due to the huge tonnage of "tailpipe emissions" that either washed around in the rain; or turned to dust and blew into the lungs when it was dry.

I've heard it said that one happy side-effect of the internal combustion engine was that resulted in a tremendous improvement in public health....

[Oatka]

WALTER WYCKOFF (third pic down), while never mentioning the stench of Chicago streets in 1892, did mention the slime of ground up horse manure on the streets and sidewalks and how the ladies had to hike their skirts up a bit to keep from being fouled.

The site mentioned above refers to the stench of the stock yards. Any city in those days must have had a miasma that would clear your sinuses pretty fast, especially in the summertime.

I was a kid in NYC in 1948 when they still had a few horse-drawn delivery carts and things would be pretty pungent until the street sweeper came by - a guy with a wide brush and a trashcan on wheels.