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New NYC Mayor: Horse-Drawn Carriages Are Done

<p>The era of the Central Park carriage ride is about to come to an end.&nbsp;</p>
NYC Mayoral Candidate Bill de Blasio Campaigns In Brooklyn
NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 16: Public Advocate and New York City Mayoral candidate Bill de Blasio speaks to voters at a subway station in Brooklyn on August 16, 2013 in New York City. In the latest polls, de Blasio is in a tie with fellow candidate Christine Quinn. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)Spencer Platt / Getty Images

The era of the romantic Central Park carriage ride is about to come to an end. New York's incoming mayor Bill de Blasio said on Monday that he is planning to abolish the tourist-loved but locally-loathed horse-drawn carriage industry. 

"We are going to get rid of the horse carriages. Period,” de Blasio said at a news conference introducing his pick for schools chancellor. "It's over."

The industry has periodically come under fire for the alleged mistreatment of horses. In 2011, a carriage horse collapsed and died in the middle of a busy Manhattan street.