Dozens of politicians, activists and others who care about animals rallied on the steps of City Hall on Wednesday, demanding that the NYC Council pass “Ryder’s Law” to end the horse carriage industry in NYC.
Queens NYC Council Member Robert Holden, the sponsor of the bill, joined NYCLASS, an animal protection group, and others in leading the July 23 rally. Concerned New Yorkers held signs that read, “End horse abuse,” and chanted “Pass Ryder’s Law.” The bill, should it pass the City Council and get mayoral approval, would wind down the horse-drawn carriages often seen in Central Park, prohibiting the issuance of new licenses used in the operation of horse-drawn cabs—in other words, stopping the industry.
The rally comes after a jury found a veteran carriage driver not guilty of animal abuse on July 21. The Long Island man faced trial last week in a Lower Manhattan criminal court after he was charged in 2023 for abusing a horse named Ryder to the point of collapse while the animal suffered health issues.
“The fact that a visibly sick horse like Ryder was allowed to work at all is unbelievable and inexcusable,” Holden said. “This case proves that current regulations don’t protect the horses, and it’s time for the City Council to act.”
Holden said that the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) should be held accountable for “systemic failures” in horse carriage oversight and they “fell asleep at the wheel” on animal welfare. The bold statement came after a juror in the horse abuse trial brought up the health department’s role in an interview with NYCLASS, an animal protection group.
“I do feel that the Department of Health should have been on trial,” the juror said on July 22. “Because they are the ones who are in control.”
Edita Birnkrant of NYCLASS, said the defendant in the case got a “get out of jail free” card.
“This wasn’t just abuse of a cancer-ridden, elderly, sick horse who was worked to the point of collapse and death,” she said. “It was criminal abuse, and the city signed off on it.”
Several agencies, including the DOHMH, regulate horse-drawn carriages in NYC. In a statement to amNewYork, DOHMH said the agency received “false information” about Ryder and gave summonses to the horse’s owner.
“Based on false information submitted to the Department about Ryder’s age — on both the license application and health certificate — the Department issued two summonses to Ryder’s owner. Each violation was subject to a $1,000 civil penalty,” the statement read. “A veterinarian is required to examine a horse and certify that the horse is fit to work. They now need to indicate that an age assessment has been conducted when they submit the Rental Horse Certificate of Health to the Health Department.”
Council Member Erik Bottcher, whose district includes Hell’s Kitchen where Ryder fell, was at the rally and said he was “extremely disappointed” in the verdict this week, and added that the City of New York contributed to the animal’s death.
“It was the city of New York that contributed to Ryder’s death,” he said. “We’re all responsible for what happened. We all were horrified that day on Ninth Avenue when Ryder collapsed in front of horrified onlookers in the heart of my district in Hell’s Kitchen, and it gave renewed energy to the movement to end the tourist horse carriage trade in NYC. But here we are, all this time later, the bill still hasn’t passed. The bill still doesn’t have a hearing.”
Proposed ban ‘ill-advised and unwanted,’ driver says
Meanwhile, Christina Hansen, a veteran carriage-horse driver and shop steward of Transport Workers Union Local 100, the union that represents Central Park’s horse-drawn carriage drivers, said a ban on the industry would put the horses in harm’s way and leave people without jobs.
“Such an ill-advised and unwanted ban would put many hard-working drivers out of work and put the lives of their horses in real jeopardy,” she said. “Thousands of horses are slaughtered every year because they do not have owners to feed them, shelter them, and provide medical care.”
She added that the union’s horses have “good homes” in the city.
“While the activists seek to destroy, we continue to make our industry ever better,” Hansen said. “We have made many improvements in the oversight and care of the beloved horses since August 2022, including the addition of an additional water trough in the park. We will continue to pursue others, including hitching posts in Central Park as an extra safeguard to prevent horses from trotting off on their own, a rare but preventable occurrence.”
