The City Council’s trying again to ban horse carriages

Will 2026 finally be the year of the horse?

New York City Council members joined animal welfare advocates from NYCLASS and PETA today to rally on the steps of City Hall to advocate – yet again – for the passage of Ryder’s Law, which would effectively ban horse-drawn carriages. This time, Council Member Christopher Marte is the bill’s prime sponsor and plans to reintroduce it at the council’s stated meeting Thursday. The rally was charged with renewed anger after a carriage horse collapsed and died Tuesday in Central Park.

The new version of Ryder’s Law – named after a carriage horse who collapsed in Hell’s Kitchen in 2022 and was later euthanized – updates the version sponsored by then-Council Member Bob Holden, which was defeated in committee last year despite support from former mayor Eric Adams. The initiative to phase out the city’s horse-drawn carriage industry is a recurring theme in city government, with Bill de Blasio also supporting a ban during his 2013 mayoral campaign, then failing to advance it over his eight years as mayor. The issue was a hot topic during the most recent mayoral election, too, with all three leading candidates voicing their support for a horse-drawn carriage ban.

During the spring primary, Zohran Mamdani responded to a NYCLASS questionnaire saying that he would support legislation and efforts to shut down the horse-drawn carriage industry. But the mayor also has a good relationship with the Transport Workers Union, which represents carriage horse operators and has opposed the effort. 

“As I’ve said, I support removing horse carriages from Central Park. I've also said that I look forward to working with union partners and community leaders to actually deliver on that,” Mamdani told reporters at an unrelated press conference Wednesday morning. “I think in Central Park, what we've seen is a lot of concern about the welfare of these horses, and I want to figure out a way for us to actually get to the end of that.”

TWU didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment, but TWU Local 100 Vice President Alexander Kemp told amNewYork it was “telling” that Marte has not detailed any plans providing economic support for carriage drivers and owners that will lose their jobs should the bill pass.

“We strongly disagree with Councilman Marte’s premise that carriage horses are mistreated and need to be banned and evicted from their homes,” Kemp said.

City Council Speaker Julie Menin has been less forthright about whether she supports the legislation, even though she co-created the Animal Welfare Caucus in March.

“The death of a carriage horse in Central Park is always troubling, and we understand this is a difficult and emotional issue for many New Yorkers,” a spokesperson for Menin told City & State. “Multiple bills about this issue will be introduced this week and will go through the legislative process to allow for input from all stakeholders.”

The Central Park Conservancy released a statement Wednesday following the dying in Central Park, citing seven horse-related incidents in the park in the last 13 months and called on lawmakers to pass Ryder’s Law.

Council Members Carl Wilson, Harvey Epstein and Frank Morano joined Marte at the rally, as three of the 10 co-prime sponsors for the bill, citing a 2025 poll that found 78% of city voters support a horse-drawn carriage ban.

“This is about where our morals lie as a city,” Marte said. “Let's make sure that we're not waiting another month, another year, another decade to end this practice that should have ended a long time ago.”