Historic Brooklyn stable owner suing luxury developer over construction project spooking horses
BROOKLYN (WABC) -- An age-old tension of New York City is what to hold on to from the past while making room for the new, especially in a city with such a need for housing.
Four-legged New Yorkers with deep ties to the city's history are getting caught in the middle.
The Prospect Park Stables have been around since 1917, but it's not facing a new challenge.
The large apartment complex being built next door is spooking the stable's 11 horses.
"He'll start like spinning around in circles and we'll see, like, okay, now we know he's getting stressed, there must be something going on up there. We gotta take care of him," said Xiana Quadrozzi, Program Director of Brooklyn Equine.
Quadrozzi said the horses are used to the steady hum of city noise but not the alarming bangs of construction.
"Their instinctual reaction is to jump away from that," Quadrozzi said.
Junior Groom Percy Moran says the noise caused him to be thrown from his horse.
"There was just this thunderous crash. I don't know if they were hammering something, putting some metal into place, but I just got launched across the arena and the horse leapt up through the air. I was thrown sideways," Moran said.
Quadrozzi fell in love with the stable as a child and now runs the riding programs.
Her father rescued it from bankruptcy in 2018.
He is now suing the developer next door.
"I know that construction normally makes noise, but the fact that they're on our roof. There should be controls in place," John Quadrozzi Jr., co-owner of Prospect Park Stable, said.
Developer Abraham Leifer said he has no comment on pending litigation.
But it's a good omen for the stable's future that neighbors in the new buildings have taken a shine to the horses.
"Love the stables, love the horses, they're beautiful animals. They're majestic. It's always great to see them walking in the neighborhood," said neighbor Ben Silbert.
"It's really an important part not only of New York history, but also human history. We've been interacting with these animals for thousands of years. It's really important to have spaces like this where we can educate people about horses and they can learn how to take care of them," Quadrozzi said.
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