With no tourists to ferry around Central Park, some of the city’s carriage horses have escaped Manhattan for a vacation. Frank Riccobono, the 33-year-old owner of NYC Horse Carriage Rides — a business started by his father in 1979 — has sent his prized ponies to Pennsylvania Amish country.
In mid-March, the entire industry made a decision to put our horses on furlough, and I sent my eight horses to Lancaster County on March 19. They are on a farm, grazing and eating grass over 100 acres. They need to be exercised daily and this was the best decision for their well-being. We are required to send horses on a six-week furlough every year, and this is where I send them.
Of course, there is no income coming in at all right now, and I had to lay off all my human staff.
I’m really missing my horses. My daily routine was to go to the stables on West 52nd Street, groom them, work my shift as a driver and spend more time with them. It’s very therapeutic. I will be going to the farm to visit them soon. But right now we are just riding out the storm.