Editor’s note: Horse carriage ban opponents take a wait-and-see approach

Animal rights organization NYCLASS recently ran ads in two Manhattan weekly newspapers that were critical of John Samuelsen, international president of the Transport Workers Union, which represents the horse carriage industry, and New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams over the stalled passage of Ryder’s Law. The legislation remains in the Health Committee, and it’s unclear when a vote will happen. A council spokesperson told City & State via email that the bill “continues to go through the legislative process, which is deliberative and allows for thorough input from all stakeholders.”

Samuelsen has lobbied against the passage of Ryder’s Law, named after a horse that died in 2022 after collapsing while pulling a carriage. He insists drivers aren’t cruel to the animals, as alleged by advocates, and that the ban, introduced by Council Member Bob Holden, was proposed for political reasons, not humane ones. Mayor Eric Adams, in support of the ban, offered to buy back medallions from owners and transition drivers into city jobs. Their yearly earnings, now about $39,000, could increase to almost $50,000 with an additional $22,000 in benefits (which they don’t currently have), according to a proposal obtained by NYCLASS. First Deputy Mayor Randy Mastro added that the use of electric carriages was encouraged and a stable for the remaining horses would be built in Central Park. “I offered all those things to John Samuelsen. You want to know what he offered me? Zero. Nada,” Mastro told City & State. “We’re minding our own business,” Samuelsen said, when asked about the offers. That leaves the industry’s fate with the council. “The council hasn’t moved on this because there’s not even a close majority support,” Samuelsen said, digging in to back the drivers.