Horse in carriage wreck is out of a job

By Ty Tagami

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The horse that was pulling the carriage hit by a Lexus in downtown Atlanta last week suffered a career-ending injury.

It wasn’t physical: she received only “super minor” abrasions, said her owner, Cecil White. But White told the AJC Thursday that Christy is now unfit for duty because of her mental state.

“She probably won’t be able to work downtown because of the trauma,” White said. “I just don’t want to take a chance.”

Four people, including the carriage driver, were injured in the crash. The Lexus driver, Gerald Odom, 28, was charged with following too closely, driving on a suspended license and violating the open container law, according to Atlanta police.

White, who owns Fantasy Carriages based near I-20 downtown, said he’s had the 5-year-old black Friesian and Percheron mix since she was a foal. He called her the “Rolls Royce” in his stable of seven or eight horses because she was calm, followed instructions and was eager to work.

White said he spent the night in the barn with Christy after the crash last Friday and that she was obviously spooked. “She wouldn’t let me close,” he said, “and she’s never like that.”

It took him three years to get her properly trained, and he said he expects it will take quite a long time to find a replacement.

“I may have to go through five or six horses to get the right one,” he said.

Christy will now spend her days at the Fantasy Carriages barn on Tift Street. White said he plans to keep her, and he invited the public to visit her: “That’s my pet; she was the number one horse in the barn.”