This horse carriage was hit by a car in front of the Mandarine Oriental Hotel in New York, NY last August. The carriage broke into two parts and the horse ran away. The horse was caught by police a few blocks down the street. © Gulko / Dessalles / ABACAUSA.COM

Inhumane practices

Miley Cyrus tweeted for fans to sign a petition, set up by NYCLASS (New Yorkers for Clean, Livable and Safe Streets), a non-profit organisation that is “committed to ending the inhumane practices of the NYC carriage horse industry”.

Following Miley's tweets, 5,000 fans signed the petition, putting the total number of signatures to more than 100,000.

"You all made my mama and all the horses so happy," the singer/actress tweeted. 

Hard work and no play

According to NYCLASS, the carriage horses work at least nine hours a day, pulling a vehicle that weighs hundreds of pounds, while breathing exhaust fumes. At the end of the day they are then taken to tiny stalls, which are often too small for them to turn around in, let alone lie down.

"Unaccustomed to the urban environment, horses can be spooked easily and cause accidents that inflict great damage on vehicles, drivers and most often, the horses themselves," said a spokesperson. "There were six accidents in the summer and fall months of 2011 alone."

Other celebrities backing in campaign include Pink, Alec Baldwin, Joan Jett, Angelica Husten and Pamela Anderson.