It\u2019s neigh for now on the proposed city law that would have phased out horse carriages, with the council\u2019s health panel refusing to advance it out of committee Friday.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is an ill-conceived and silly bill, which I\u2019d be happy to vote no [to],\u201d railed City Councilman Jim Gennaro (D-24), who is on the Health Committee, in siding with the majority and the TWU, the union representing carriage drivers.<\/p>\n
Around 200 protesters on both sides of the equine aisle gathered outside of 250 Broadway in Lower Manhattan while debate was held inside over \u201cRyder\u2019s Law,\u201d a nod to a carriage horse named Ryder who tragically collapsed<\/a> while working on a hot August day in 2022.<\/p>\n Members of the union that reps horse-carriage drivers rally outside the Lower Manhattan building Friday where a City Council committee was inside debating the industry. William Farrington<\/p>\n The bill was originally introduced by Councilman Robert Holden (D-30) in 2024 \u2014 who argued Friday before the committee that the horses that cart around eager tourists in Manhattan\u2019s iconic Central Park<\/a> work in \u201chorrendous conditions\u201d and pose a threat to park-goers.<\/p>\n \u201cAre we waiting for somebody to get killed? That\u2019s what we\u2019re waiting for. If somebody was killed, by the way, this Council would have acted,\u201d Holden said.<\/p>\n Top-hatted carriage drivers attend Friday\u2019s hearing. William Farrington<\/p>\n But other committee members including Gennaro claimed that Holden\u2019s bill was poorly thought out.<\/p>\n Councilman and self-proclaimed animal lover Justin Brannan (D-47) piled on.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m the only City Council member to have \u2018Meat is murder\u2019 tattooed on my neck. I have no issue with the horses in Central Park.\u201d\u00a0Brannan said. \u201cI do believe that there\u2019s a compromise. That compromise is not to be found in Ryder\u2019s law.\u201d<\/p>\n