NEW YORK - A veterinarian hired by the industry group that promotes horse-drawn carriage rides through Central Park says the animals are healthy and well cared for.

The Horse and Carriage Association commissioned the evaluation by John Lowe, a former professor of veterinary medicine at Cornell University.

He says the horses he visited at five New York City stables had shiny and well groomed coats, were in good health and displayed no wounds or coughs.

Some critics have campaigned against the horse-drawn carriage industry and on Thursday dismissed the report as unconvincing. But the city has not supported their calls for a ban.