A carriage horse is viewed in traffic near central Park on December 22, 2013 in New York City. A carriage horse driver was charged on Friday with animal cruelty after police say his horse was working with a leg injury. Police say they noticed the horse, named Blondie, was limping and struggling to pull the weight of the carriage. Carriage rides are popular with tourists and many feel they have become an iconic part of Central Park. Calling them a form of animal cruelty, newly elected mayor Bill de Blasio promised during his campaign to ban horse carriages from the city's streets and parks.