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
That’s very sweet of you - I’d love to see the stables. All I know are the old stables that have been converted into beautiful houses in NYC.
The most important thing is that you get the news out there about redevelopment. This is, obviously, the whole story. I’m over at The Guardian telling the dumb Brits who are all buying into the PETA argument (without ever having been to NYC). Good luck and hope you keep your horsies.