To be perfectly frank, I’ve never seen children fooling around with these horses. I’ve also found the drivers unfriendly to the point of hostility. Many of them are deeply eccentric, as well. That said, I’d like to see them remain and Kaiser Wilhelm defeated on his first so-very-important initiative.
Thanks again for the stable info. I want to spread this news around to people who think this is an animal welfare issue.
I’m not quite sure what you mean by ‘fooling around’ but in 50+ years we never had a problem petting or feeding the line horses. And I’m really surprised that you ran into hostile drivers. They’re in the hospitality business ... fares and tips are their bread and butter ... not running off customers. But I’ll admit, there are a few quirky characters out there.
If you’re interested, I could arrange a tour of a stable for you. A friend owns one of them. She and her mother (the original owner) are the salt of the earth and the sweetest people you’ll ever meet. They cherish their horses!
Finally the media is getting it: http://spectator.org/blog/57345/de-blasios-horse-drawn-carriage-ban-it-really-about-campaign-cash