The vote comes amid heightened public scrutiny of the carriage industry following the collapse of Ryder, the horse whose 2022 death inspired the bill, and several incidents since, including he recent death of a horse named Lady near Times Square.<\/p>\n
The contentious November 14 meeting<\/a>, which was not a public hearing under Council Rule 7.110, the provision Holden invoked to force a vote, opened with the Queens council member quoting Mahatma Gandhi and arguing that the city had failed to protect vulnerable animals.<\/p>\n \u201cThe greatness of a nation can be judged by the way its animals are treated, and that compassion should extend to all living beings, especially in the most helpless,\u201d said Holden. \u201cThe greatness of a city council should also be measured by that, and the greatness of a council member should be measured by that.\u201d<\/p>\n He accused colleagues of discrimination and claimed the committee had avoided holding a public hearing on the issue for four years. He also referenced cities around the world that have banned carriages and held up an example of an electric-powered carriage meant to replace horses as part of his earlier legislative proposal.<\/p>\n Holden attempted to place a motion on the floor to schedule a public hearing, but Schulman ruled that his motion could not take precedence because he is not a member of the committee.<\/p>\n Council Member James Gennaro pushed back strongly, calling Holden\u2019s remarks inaccurate and asserting that the carriage industry has operated for 150 years with no criminal convictions for animal cruelty. He described Holden\u2019s bill as \u201cill-conceived and silly,\u201d and defended past reforms the city has enacted to protect horses.<\/p>\n Council Member Carmen De La Rosa, who chairs the Council\u2019s labor committee, said opening Holden\u2019s remarks spurred her to speak, emphasizing the need to respect the livelihoods of carriage drivers, many of whom are immigrant workers.<\/p>\n \u201cI wish this energy was present when we talk about undocumented people in the city of New York, homeless people in the city of New York, those people who are not able to fend for themselves,\u201d she said to Holden.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThose children [of carriage drivers] deserve a future too,\u201d De La Rosa said, noting the families in attendance at Friday\u2019s meeting. She voted down the motion to move the bill forward.\n<\/p>\n Council Member Mercedes Narcisse echoed the same sentiment on the need to balance animal welfare with drivers\u2019 financial realities, drawing parallels between the carriage medallion system and the struggles of taxi medallion owners, noting that many purchased medallions expecting stable, long-term work.<\/p>\n \u201cThis needs to be addressed one way or the other. I want to strike a balance with this process,\u201d said Narcisse, who abstained.\n<\/p>\n Council Member Justin Brannan, who noted his own background as an animal-rights activist by referencing his own \u201cmeat is murder\u201d tattoo, said that while he cares deeply about animal welfare, the bill was mishandled and lacked meaningful dialogue. He criticized Holden for never approaching him to discuss the legislation despite his leadership role in the Council. \u201cThis is not how you do business in the City Council,\u201d he said, before voting no.<\/p>\n He claimed that in recent months the debate surrounding Central Park horse carriages had been \u201cpoisoned and hijacked by bad actors and desperate people\u201d who are not motivated by animal welfare but by money, making \u201ceverybody look bad.\u201d He argued that hypocrisy within certain segments of the animal-rights movement undermines public credibility and makes progress more difficult. In response, Holden accused Brannan of reneging on past promises to support a carriage ban and again asserted that political forces were blocking reform. \u2018The issue will never completely go away\u2019<\/p>\n Mayor Eric Adams recently endorsed Ryder\u2019s Law<\/a> and issued an executive order directing agencies to prepare for a 2026 phaseout, though the City Council must pass the legislation for that transition to occur.<\/p>\n At Friday\u2019s hearing, Brannan further questioned Mayor Adams\u2019 recent interest in the issue, saying the mayor had \u201csuddenly woke up a month ago and started caring about the horses,\u201d despite never engaging with the issue before. Brannan suggested that motivations for that shift would \u201ccome out in the wash.\u201d<\/p>\n Council Member Christopher Marte spoke in support of the bill, praising Holden and citing the mayor\u2019s proposed transition plan, which he said would increase driver wages if they accepted city employment under a restructured system.<\/p>\n \u201cCurrently, on average, workers make less than $40,000 a year. What the city is offering in total can be more than 70,000 a year,\u201d said Marte. \u201cThis is a plan that not only takes into account the amount of work you put in, but also the additional benefits that you can get as a city worker that everyone here cherishes, because we know the value of working for the city and being protected by the city.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIf it was an individual, if it was a human pushing a horse carriage, we will call that inhumane. If it was any other living animal, whether it\u2019s dogs or cats pushing the carriage, we will call that inhumane,\u201d he added. \u201cWhy do we have to put horses at a different level? And that\u2019s why I\u2019ve been supportive of this bill.\u201d<\/p>\n During the roll-call vote, Council Member Simcha Felder cast the sole vote in favor of advancing the bill. With a final tally of 1\u20134, the measure fell far short of the six votes needed to proceed.<\/p>\n Following the vote, Committee Chair Schulman said in a statement that she is eager to play a constructive role in bringing the two conflicting sides together \u201cto achieve a resolution in a way that reduces conflict.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAll bills, and particularly those related to challenging issues like this, require that we bridge the divide between stakeholders through legislative work that engages all parties to reach a potential solution,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Outside the chamber discussion, animal-rights groups and industry advocates reacted swiftly.\n<\/p>\n \u201cMore than 75% of New Yorkers want horse-drawn carriages off city streets,\u201d PETA Director Ashley Byrne said, calling the industry \u201ca dying trade\u201d and expressing confidence the bill will return next term.<\/p>\n![\"Council](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Screenshot-2025-11-14-140617.jpg\" "\\"Ryder\u2019s")
Council Member Robert Holden holds up signage during the Committee on Health meeting on Nov. 14 to advocate for Ryder\u2019s LawPhoto by City Council YouTube<\/p>\n
Brannan stated that his primary concern has long been the safety of transporting horses to and from the stables, rather than the horses working inside Central Park itself. He believes a compromise is possible, but that compromise is not the bill known as Ryder\u2019s Law.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt gets blocked because of discrimination,\u201d Holden said of the bill. \u201cIt gets blocked because of people who are actually in lockstep with special interests, not the interests of New Yorkers, not the interests of animals, not the interests of the city of New York.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"Roll-call](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Screenshot-2025-11-14-151210.jpg\" "\\"Ryder\u2019s")
Roll-call vote from the NYC Council Committee on Health showing the results of Ryder\u2019s Law (Intro. 967), which failed to advance to the full council.Phot via NYC City Council<\/p>\n