Carriage Horse Driver Is Charged With Animal Cruelty A carriage horse driver with a checkered history was charged on Friday with animal cruelty after a police officer observed him working a horse that was visibly injured, according to court documents. The officer, Brian Coll, was on patrol in Central Park shortly before midnight on Wednesday when he noticed a horse struggling to pull the weight of the carriage to which it was yoked. He questioned the driver, Saverio Colarusso, and discovered that the horse, Blondie, had been hurt for four days, according to court documents. Despite the injury, Mr. Colarusso, had worked Blondie for five hours that day, Officer Coll testified in the complaint. He then summoned Sergeant Raymond Aviles, a mounted police officer with training in dealing with horses. Officer Coll testified that "the horse had an injury to the rear left leg, causing it to have difficulty walking and substantial pain." Mr. Colarusso was arrested, and if he is found guilty could face a fine of up to $1,000 and one year in prison. It is not the first time Mr. Colarusso has gotten in trouble. In 2010, he was charged with drinking while on duty after being spotted drinking a Michelob Light beer while standing next to his horse carriage. Two other bottles of liquor were found inside the carriage. He has also been fined for driving his horse through city streets during unauthorized times, failing to keep a daily log and not turning on the lamps on the side of his carriage after dark. A lawyer representing Mr. Colarusso did not immediately return a call seeking comment. About 200 horses work Central Park, and animal rights activists said that while Mr. Colarusso may be an extreme example, many steeds on New York City's streets were suffering. The case, they said, was further evidence that the newly elected mayor, Bill de Blasio, should make good on his campaign promise to ban horse carriages from the city's streets and parks. "This incident further reinforces the need for an end to carriage horse operations in the city," said Bret Hopman, a spokesman for the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. "The A.S.P.C.A. believes that the use of carriage horses in 21st-century New York City is unnatural, unnecessary and an undeniable strain on the horses" quality of life." The union that represents carriage drivers did not respond to calls and an email seeking comment. If the police did not notice Blondie's condition, animal experts said, the injury could have proven fatal. A subsequent examination by a police veterinarian found that Blondie had a condition called thrush - an infection of the hoof that if left untreated can lead to the horse becoming permanently lame. It is often caused when a horse is not cared for properly and is kept in unclean conditions. After Mr. Colarusso's arrest, an order of protection was issued directing him to stay away from Blondie.