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<\/a>Days after Romanch Mahajan\u2019s death, PETA put up a sky-high message in Manhattan calling for a ban on horse-drawn carriage rides. (2026) <\/p>\nThe bill was originally known as Ryder\u2019s Law, named after Ryder, a horse exploited for carriage rides who collapsed on a Manhattan street in 2022. Video footage showed Ryder struggling to get up as reports indicated that his driver slapped him, whipped him, and screamed at him.<\/p>\n
Almost a year later, a horse named Lady<\/a> collapsed and died while being forced to pull a carriage through busy Manhattan streets.<\/p>\n This suffering is built into the horse-drawn carriage industry. Carriage rides are no walk in the park for horses made to haul them. Operators force them through chaotic city streets, where they dodge cars, inhale exhaust fumes, and pound the hard pavement all day long in sweltering summers and freezing winters. Many suffer respiratory ailments, painful leg and hoof problems, and injuries from accidents.<\/p>\n How PETA Helped Secure This Major Win<\/p>\n PETA kept the pressure on New York City, taking the fight for horses from the streets of New York to the steps of City Hall. Here just a few moments that helped turn up the heat:<\/p>\n Edie Falco Led a Chorus of Support for Romanch\u2019s Law<\/p>\n At a pivotal City Council hearing, PETA Honorary Director and lifelong New Yorker Edie Falco joined the Mahajan family, veterinarians, and animal advocates in speaking out for Romanch\u2019s Law. More than 100 advocates submitted testimony, and following the hearing, the bill secured a majority of City Council cosponsors.<\/p>\n New Yorkers Rallied for Lady and Demand Change<\/p>\n The morning after Lady\u2019s death, a swarm of compassionate New Yorkers joined PETA and NYCLASS\u2019s emergency rally outside the Clinton Street \u201cstables\u201d (a high-rise building) in Hell\u2019s Kitchen, where Lady was kept when not dragging tourists through city streets.<\/p>\n Later that month, PETA supporters gathered outside City Hall to demand that Council members pass Ryder\u2019s Law (now Romanch\u2019s Law) before another horse suffered the same fate.<\/p>\n 78% of New Yorkers Said \u201cNeigh\u201d to Horse-Drawn Carriages<\/p>\n<\/a>PETA erected a sky-high message of Lady\u2019s lifeless body sprawled on the pavement. The billboard stood above the intersection of 51st Street and 11th Avenue like a gravestone, marking the place where Lady collapsed and died. (2025) <\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n