The City Council could decide Thursday whether to advance Romanch’s Law, a proposal that would end horse carriage rides by June 2028.
The bill, which is named for an 18-year-old who died after a runaway carriage incident in Central Park, would also create a program to help owners find humane placements for the horses.
Its sponsor has said the measure is about safety.
“The last thing we need is to fear that a horse is going to be spooked and we’re going to lose another life,” Council Member Christopher Marte said at a rally last week.
For carriage driver Alexus Lawson, the proposal could affect both her job and her relationship with Starlight, the 7-year-old horse she works with.
Lawson has driven horse carriages for 10 years.
“You’re trying to rip away my livelihood with my best friend, my family, and you won’t even look me in the eye while you try to do it,” she said.
Lawson and Starlight finished another shift in Central Park before heading back through Hell’s Kitchen to the stable on 52nd Street.
She said the rides remain meaningful for visitors, especially children.
“The children are always pointing and saying, ‘Horsey, Horsey,’” Lawson said. “And that is adorable.”
Supporters of the ban rallied with chants of “Carriage ban is on the way.”
Lawson said she worries about what would happen to the horses if the industry can no longer operate in the city.
“If we cannot work here, how can people afford to keep those horses?” Lawson said.
The bill calls for a program to help owners find humane placements for their horses if carriage rides end.
Lawson said the change would erase the work she has known for a decade.
“All of this would be gone,” she said.
Lawson said she is not ready to give up as the City Council considers the proposal.
“I am never one to put my hands up and admit defeat unless it’s directly in front of my face, and I will still find a way to go right back at it,” she said.