NYC Mayor Adams hiring outside vet to examine Central Park carriage horses seen as assault on industry

NEW YORK — Mayor Eric Adams is dropping a new twist into the heated debate over the city’s horse carriage industry by ordering that some of the steeds deployed in Central Park undergo medical exams from an outside veterinarian who has spoken at events hosted by an anti-carriage group, the Daily News has learned.

The Adams administration’s contracting of the Saratoga County-based vet, Kraig Kulikowski, comes after Adams and his first deputy mayor, Randy Mastro, have for weeks been trying to find ways to ban Central Park’s horse carriages.

Carriage drivers and the Transport Workers Union told The News on Tuesday they see Kulikowski’s hire as an extension of the effort to eradicate their industry.

“This is an abuse of power, this is not honest, this is not nice,” said Ahmet Bilici, a Central Park carriage driver who has been doing the job for 20 years. Bilici said the city already requires him to get his horse screened by a private doctor every 6 months.

Bilici, a licensed vet himself, told The News he and other carriage drivers “love” their horses. “They’re part of [my] family,” he added.

Mastro, who used to be a lawyer for one of the main groups advocating for a ban, played a key role in selecting Kulikowski to do the exams, which are taking place this week, according to sources with knowledge of the matter.

For years, Adams defended the carriage drivers, siding with their argument that there are ways to protect their jobs and keep the horses safe at the same time. But after empowering Mastro to look for “a better path forward” for the industry, Adams reversed course in September, saying he finds the carriage practice inhumane and declaring support for a City Council bill that’d eliminate the industry. The Council declined last month to pass that bill.

Kulikowski’s hire was formalized by Adams’ Health Department, which told local carriage drivers in an email last week their horses had been “selected for an exam at this time.”

The message, obtained by The News, called the exams “required” and mentioned Kulikowski was expected to ask to take blood samples from the horses and also request that their owners have them walk or trot in front of him.

Reached over phone Tuesday, Kulikowski said he was hired after being forwarded an application for the job. He didn’t disclose who sent the application.

Kulikowski has spoken at events held by Equine Advocates, an upstate-based nonprofit that pushes for horse carriages to be banned. The non-profit’s founder, Susan Wagner, described Kulikowski as “our veterinarian” in a post on its website.

Mastro, meantime, used to be a lawyer for NYCLASS, the main city-based animal rights group advocating for a horse carriage ban.

Adams spokesman Zachary Nosanchuk confirmed Tuesday that Mastro was involved in identifying Kulikowski for the job, but said the Law and Health Departments played roles, too.

Nosanchuk said Kulikowski was hired as a contractor under a micro procurement, meaning it didn’t need to go out for competitive bidding. Nosanchuk didn’t have an exact dollar figure for Kulikowski’s contract, but said micro purchases cannot legally exceed $25,000 and also confirmed the vet’s only expected to examine 16 horses as part of the deal.

There are some 200 carriage horses in the city.

Still, Transport Workers Union President John Samuelsen — who’s suing NYCLASS over efforts to ban the industry and has threatened to add Mastro and Adams to the legal action — voiced concern Kulikowski could use the exams to suspend horses from carriage service and create a new standard for the industry.

“I think the play here is that Randy Mastro, before he leaves office, has created a construct that he believes will be able to start 2026 off with a narrative, as put forth by a veterinarian that he hand-picked,” Samuelsen said.

“He can affect the licensing status of the drivers, and he can do this and just say, ‘if you don’t like it, appeal it,'” he added. “And this is coming right into the holiday season. The drivers rely on this period of the year to carry them through the less economically beneficial times of the year.”

Nosanchuk said the administration entered into a micro contract with Kulikowski specifically so some exams could take place while Adams is still mayor. He’s leaving City Hall on Dec. 31, having abandoned his reelection bid amid fallout from his corruption indictment.

Citing polling showing widespread support for a carriage ban in New York, Nosanchuk said it “isn’t enough” at this point to simply urge the Council to act.

“Ahead of the busy season, when these horses will face the bitter cold and unhealthy conditions, they have never had an independent veterinarian examination,” Nosanchuk said. “That’s why our administration is working with a state-licensed veterinarian to conduct a standard review, to shine a spotlight on how these animals are truly treated.”

Incoming Mayor Zohran Mamdani has voiced support for a horse carriage ban, too, but says he wants to work with the union before enacting an outright prohibition.

Samuelsen said he believes Mamdani’s administration “will do a fair assessment, not a politicized assessment, of whether or not the horses are well taken care of.”