{"id":41702,"date":"2025-11-16T23:26:30","date_gmt":"2025-11-16T23:26:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/41702\/"},"modified":"2025-11-16T23:26:30","modified_gmt":"2025-11-16T23:26:30","slug":"lame-ducks-dragons-the-fight-over-future-of-nyc-horse-drawn-carriages","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/41702\/","title":{"rendered":"Lame ducks, dragons, & the fight over future of NYC horse-drawn carriages"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Ryder<\/p>\n

\"Ryder<\/p>\n

<\/a> (Beth Clifton collage)New York City council health committee vote kills \u201cRyder\u2019s Law,\u201d\u00a0 but not the issue<\/p>\n

NEW YORK,\u00a0 N.Y.\u2013\u2013If Chinese dictator Mao Zedong (1893-1976) was correct in his admonition that \u201cDragons and dying empires lash hardest in their death throes,\u201d\u00a0 either the New York City horse-drawn carriage industry or activism against it may be just about done for.<\/p>\n

But not before the alleged dragons on either side of the issue devour the lame duck New York city council members who on November 14,\u00a0 2025 voted to kill \u201cRyder\u2019s Law.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRyder\u2019s Law,\u201d\u00a0 named after a carriage horse who collapsed in the street at 45th and 9th in Midtown Manhattan on August 10, 2022, \u00a0was the latest incarnation of a long series of bills seeking to exclude horse-drawn carriages from operating in and around Central Park,\u00a0 a New York City animal advocacy cause celebre at least since 1989,\u00a0 when horse-drawn carriages were first restricted to the Central Park neighborhood.<\/p>\n

\"NYC<\/p>\n

\"NYC<\/p>\n

<\/a> (Beth Clifton collage)Who is the dragon?<\/p>\n

The proposed horse-drawn carriage bans were initially opposed by the New York Horse & Carriage Association, \u00a0representing the owners of 68 carriages,\u00a0 but more recently and more influentially by the Transport Workers Union, \u00a0representing nearly 200 horse-drawn carriage owners and drivers,\u00a0 among approximately 41,000 transport workers altogether in New York City Local 100.<\/p>\n

To opponents of horse-drawn carriages operating in and around Central Park,\u00a0 the Transport Workers Union is the dragon,\u00a0 breathing fire from atop stacks of gold in the form of fares and tips from carriage riders,\u00a0 believed to be mostly tourists.<\/p>\n

To the horse-drawn carriage owners and drivers,\u00a0 anti-horse-drawn carriage activists are the dragon,\u00a0 threatening their livelihoods.<\/p>\n

\"Horse,<\/p>\n

\"Horse,<\/p>\n

<\/a> (Beth Clifton collage)Only one vote in favor<\/p>\n

The death of \u201cRyder\u2019s Law,\u201d\u00a0 opined New York Daily News writers Chris Sommerfeldt and Evan Simko-Bednarski after the New York city council health committee killed the most recent attempt to advance the bill,\u00a0 \u201ccast doubt over the future of the long-running push to abolish the industry.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe bill,\u201d\u00a0 Sommerfeldt and Simko-Bednarski reported, \u00a0\u201cintroduced by outgoing Queens Councilman Bob Holden, \u00a0was defeated after only one committee member,\u201d \u00a0Brooklyn representative Simcha Felder,\u201d \u00a0voted in favor of it. Four members voted against it and two abstained, \u00a0while two others didn\u2019t show up.\u201d<\/p>\n

This,\u00a0 Sommerfeldt and Simko-Bednarski explained,\u00a0 \u201cmeans the measure is effectively dead on the vine and won\u2019t advance to a full Council vote.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"New<\/p>\n

\"New<\/p>\n

<\/a> (Beth Clifton collage)All city council issues are dead issues for the moment<\/p>\n

But practically every item of new legislation left before the New York city council is effectively dead at this point.\u00a0 A new council,\u00a0 elected on November 4,\u00a0 2025,\u00a0 will take office on January 1,\u00a0 2026.<\/p>\n

City council speaker Adrienne Adams, \u00a0who \u201cfor months refused Holden\u2019s demands to consider his horse carriage ban bill for a hearing or a vote,\u201d\u00a0 Sommerfeldt and Simko-Bednarski mentioned,\u00a0 has been term-limited out of office,\u00a0 along with Holden.<\/p>\n

Already exiting the debate was former New York City mayor Eric Adams, \u00a0who took office in 2022,\u00a0 did nothing to promote a horse-drawn carriage ban during most of his tenure,\u00a0 then announced his support for a ban just eleven days before abandoning his campaign for re-election on September 28,\u00a0 2025.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

<\/a> (Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages photo)The beat goes on<\/p>\n

Benjamin Fang-Estrada, \u00a0\u00a0representing Adrienne Adams, \u00a0told Sommerfeldt and Simko-Bednarski that \u201cRyder\u2019s Law\u201d failed, \u00a0Sommerfeldt and Simko-Bednarski paraphrased, \u00a0\u201cbecause Holden didn\u2019t work enough on building support for it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTo successfully advance a bill,\u201d\u00a0 said Fang-Estrada,\u00a0 \u201crequires a lead sponsor to do the legislative work of building support with colleagues and collaborating with stakeholders to bring people of different views together to advance solutions.\u201d<\/p>\n

But that has not happened yet,\u00a0 in 37 years.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile,\u00a0 Sommerfeldt and Simko-Bednarski continued,\u00a0 \u201cTransit Workers Union members \u2014 as well as animal rights activists \u2014 showed up in force\u201d to the hearing preceding the city council health committee vote, \u00a0\u201cwith the council having to set up three overflow rooms in order to accommodate everyone.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

<\/a> (Beth Clifton collage)Electric carriages\u2019 day came & went<\/p>\n

\u201cMayor-elect Zohran Mamdani,\u201d\u00a0 Sommerfeldt and Simko-Bednarski noted,\u00a0 \u201chas voiced support for banning the industry, \u00a0though he says he wants to engage in dialogue with the Transit Workers Union to figure out a compromise on how the drivers can find similar jobs, \u00a0potentially by getting electric carriages.\u201d<\/p>\n

That idea,\u00a0 though,\u00a0 proposed in 2019 when electric vehicles were still a relative novelty,\u00a0 long ago shorted out.\u00a0 With more than 25,000 electric vehicles now on the New York City streets every day,\u00a0 chances are good that one will be stopped at any traffic light a Central Park goer uses to get there.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe next New York City council will likely need to introduce a new bill similar to Holden\u2019s and start the process from scratch in order to get a ban enacted,\u201d\u00a0 Sommerfeldt and Simko-Bednarski said.<\/p>\n

That will require finding a council member willing to become the new flag-bearer for a horse-drawn carriage ban,\u00a0 and to work to advance it.<\/p>\n

\"Horse,<\/p>\n

\"Horse,<\/p>\n

<\/a> (Beth Clifton collage)Activists respond<\/p>\n

Voters For Animal Rights in a media statement pronounced itself \u201cdeeply disappointed by the New York City Council\u2019s decision not to advance \u2018Ryder\u2019s Law,\u2019 \u00a0legislation that would phase out the horse carriage industry and retire the horses to sanctuaries.<\/p>\n

\u201cBy choosing not to move this bill forward,\u201d\u00a0 Voters for Animal Rights said, \u00a0\u201cthe council has delayed the conversations necessary to create a safer, more compassionate city for both people and horses.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fumed a People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals [PETA] media statement,\u00a0 \u201cMore than 75% of New Yorkers want horse-drawn carriages off city streets, \u00a0yet the carriage industry is resorting to dirty tricks to prop up this dying trade and keep exhausted horses suffering through sweltering summers and windy winters.\u201d<\/p>\n

This begs the question of how many fare-paying clients opt for open-air carriage rides in \u201csweltering summers and windy winters,\u201d\u00a0 instead of waiting for decent weather.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re confident that with compassionate council members already committed to reintroducing the bill next term,\u201d\u00a0 PETA said,\u00a0 not naming any names of said compassionate council members,\u00a0 \u201cthe question isn\u2019t if New York will ban horse-drawn carriages\u2014it\u2019s WHEN.\u2019<\/p>\n

\"Big<\/p>\n

\"Big<\/p>\n

<\/a> (Beth Clifton collage)SLAPP suit against NYCLASS<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, \u00a0Simko-Bednarski reported on November 10,\u00a0 2025,\u00a0 four days before the New York city council health committee vote,\u00a0 \u201cThe Transport Workers Union had filed suit against New Yorkers for Clean Livable and Safe Streets \u2014 NYCLASS \u2014 in New York Supreme Court,\u201d\u00a0 actually the lowest level of the New York state court system,\u00a0 \u201calleging the group knowingly spreads false claims in an effort to build support for a ban carriage horses.\u201d<\/p>\n

Charged the lawsuit,\u00a0 \u201cNYCLASS has used unlawful means, \u00a0including, \u00a0but not limited to, misrepresentation to the public and third parties, \u00a0and\/or acted with the purpose of harming the carriage drivers and their business, \u00a0under the pretense of animal rights.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Edita<\/p>\n

\"Edita<\/p>\n

<\/a> (Facebook photo)Claims about dead carriage horses<\/p>\n

Summarized Simko-Bednarski,\u00a0 \u201cThe Transit Workers Union identifies two instances in which the union alleges NYCLASS claimed dead carriage horses had been abused despite autopsy reports finding they died of natural causes.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe suit references the death of a 15-year-old carriage horse named Lady,\u00a0 who collapsed and died on the street in August while returning to her stable in Hell\u2019s Kitchen.<\/p>\n

\u201cA necropsy report prepared by Cornell University\u2019s Animal Health Diagnostic Center and attached as an exhibit to the lawsuit states that Lady died from an aortic rupture likely related to hypertension caused by a small tumor on the horse\u2019s adrenal gland.<\/p>\n

\"New<\/p>\n

\"New<\/p>\n

<\/a> (Beth Clifton collage)NYCLASS responds<\/p>\n

\u201cThe union goes on to argue that NYCLASS \u2018did the same thing\u2019 in 2020,\u201d \u00a0Simko-Bednarski narrated, \u00a0\u201cwhen a horse named Aysha collapsed on the street and was later euthanized. \u00a0Health Department records indicate the horse was \u2018in good health prior to her death,\u2019 \u00a0the suit claims, \u00a0but \u201cdespite all of the well-documented information released regarding Aysha, \u00a0NYCLASS spread and continues to maliciously misrepresent Aysha\u2019s tragic death for its unlawful interference with horse carriage drivers.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Beth<\/p>\n

\"Beth<\/p>\n

<\/a> Beth & Merritt Clifton.
(Daniel Leventhal photo)<\/p>\n

Responded NYCLASS executive director Edita Birnkrant,\u00a0 in a prepared statement issued to Simko-Bednarski,\u00a0 \u201cThis appears to be a desperate attempt by a failing business brought low by its own actions.\u00a0 For years, New Yorkers have witnessed horses collapsing and even dying on our streets, spooking and running wild in traffic and in Central Park, crashing into cars and injuring people.\u201d<\/p>\n

Please donate to support our work:\u00a0<\/p>\n

More related posts:<\/p>\n

Discover more from Animals 24-7<\/p>\n

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"(Beth Clifton collage)New York City council health committee vote kills \u201cRyder\u2019s Law,\u201d\u00a0 but not the issue NEW YORK,\u00a0…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":41703,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[446,23267,20945,81,12528,9,56,63,65,64,8823,82],"class_list":{"0":"post-41702","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-new-york-city","8":"tag-adrienne-adams","9":"tag-bob-holden","10":"tag-edita-birnkrant","11":"tag-eric-adams","12":"tag-merritt-clifton","13":"tag-new-york","14":"tag-ny","15":"tag-nyc","16":"tag-nyc-headlines","17":"tag-nyc-news","18":"tag-ryders-law","19":"tag-zohran-mamdani"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41702","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=41702"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41702\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/41703"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=41702"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=41702"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=41702"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}