Beloved Windsor Terrace horse stable saddled with construction noises that scare horses
News 12 spoke with John Quadrozzi Jr., the managing partner of Prospect Park Stable , who says the horses are in a state of constant anxiety.
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Creatures bred for calm in the hustle and bustle of Windsor Terrace now saddled with noises of banging construction, as a luxury apartment undergoes construction next door - and most recently, on the roof, on top of where the horses live.
News 12 spoke John Quadrozzi Jr., with the managing partner of Prospect Park Stable, who says the horses are in a state of constant anxiety.
He says one horse Canoli, now wears ear plugs and had to be sedated after being unable to calm down from hearing the banging on the roof.
"Horses are prey animals, so flight is their natural response. So when they hear noise, they jump, they spook and they run whatever direction they see a clear area. They’re urban horses, so they're accustomed to the urban environment, horns honking, noisy trucks and that sort of thing. But banging this type of abrupt stuff almost sounds like a gunshot to them. They react," said Quadrozzi.
Because of the noise and keeping riders safe, Quadrozzi says summer programs have been modified, and no indoor riding is allowed. Rider Percival Moran tells News 12 this is not the way the horses normally behave.
"I was just riding and there was some sort of crash and he leapt through the air, launched across the arena and then turned sharply. And I was just thrown off," said Moran.
While building permits and noise mitigation plans sit outside the construction site, developer Abraham Leifer says a judge gave him permission to be on the roof. Leifer also says the development group admires the horses and claim they do their best to mitigate noise. While residents like Ben Silbert say the building could be good for the neighborhood, unfortunately horses will be the one to pay the price.
“It’s hard to have them understand that there’s construction going on but I think it’s temporary and it will be better for the block once that building is built," said Silbert.
Quadrozzi also says the construction has caused cracks in windows and the walls and claims he has a lawsuit against the development company.
While Leifer declined to comment on the lawsuit, he claims there will be no more construction on the roof going forward and the development will be finished before the end of the year.
