Rush Limbaugh has come out swinging in defence of the heavily Irish horse and carriage industry in New York’s Central Park after new mayor Bill de Blasio promised to put them off the streets.

Over half the drivers of the 200 horses are Irish, but they are fighting a rearguard action against de Blasio, who had major support from animal rights groups.

De Blasio stated that one of his first acts would be to end the horse and carriage trade and replace it with electric car tours.

"We are going to quickly and aggressively move to make horse carriages no longer a part of the landscape in New York City... They are not humane. ... It's over."

Limbaugh, among others, scoffed at that. Speaking on his show Thursday Limbaugh stated:

“One of the first things de Blasio said he's gonna do is eliminate the horse-drawn carriages in Central Park. Just gonna get rid of 'em. And not just in Central Park, but everywhere. He's just gonna wipe out the horses. Why do you think that is? Why do you think the new mayor of New York is going to get rid of the horse-drawn carriage? Now, keep in mind, keep in mind that these people believe that automobiles are responsible for destroying the planet.

"Keep in mind these people think that automobiles and fossil-fueled vehicles are destroying the climate and would love to take us back to the horse and buggy days, except the new mayor of New York thinks it is cruel and inhumane for horses to pull carriages with people in them.  If horses are pulling, you know, carts of manure, I guess that's okay.  But if they're doing it for the pleasure of human beings, then it is abuse of the horse – and we're not gonna have it.

"We're not gonna be an inhumane city anymore. We're not gonna treat our animals like animals. We're not gonna be inhumane. We're not gonna have horses pulling carriages around with a bunch of fat people in 'em, for the pleasure of these people and putting these horses out. "That's inhumane and we're not gonna do it. Does this guy have no understanding of the history of horses? Does he have no idea they were created as beasts of burden among many other purposes? Next thing you know he's gonna say it's inhumane to ride a horse. .... The point is he's doing it because it's cruel and inhumane to the horses to pull carriages, and we aren't gonna be for that in New York. We are not gonna be seen in Central Park. In one respect, Central Park was designed with horse-drawn carriages in mind. I thought the left wanted us to go back to horses and the horse and buggy, to get rid of fossil fueled vehicles.

"This is the kind of time-wasting minutia that occupies these people's minds and this is the kind of move that de Blasio is convinced people will see that he's a caring, feeling, and touching, and sensitive, compassionate individual, and all it does is telegraph his utter ignorance of history. Anyway, I'm sure this is something is gonna pop up as time passes, and there's gonna be more of it. This is just the beginning, folks, of the ongoing adventures of what's gonna be happening here to New York City."