Council Member Robert Holden of District 30 made a push to force the City Council’s Health Committee to vote on his proposed law, Intro. 967, which would ban horse-drawn carriages from Central Park, but it failed to pass by a 4-2 vote on Thursday, Nov. 14.
“This was one of the most undemocratic displays I have ever witnessed in the New York City Council,” said Holden, who took issue with the fact that there was no public hearing.
The bill would ban the industry beginning the summer of 2026, ensure that all horses are not sold for the “purpose of slaughter,” and establish a workforce development program within the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection to help drivers transition to other fields of employment. Council Members Justin Brannan and James Gennaro, both seated on the Health Committee, unlike Holden, took issue not with the banning of the horse-drawn carriages, but the bill itself, with Gennaro stating it was “ill-conceived” and “silly.”
The bill is also known as Ryder’s Law, named after a working horse that collapsed in Hell’s Kitchen and was later euthanized in 2022. The city charged Ryder’s driver with animal abuse shortly thereafter, but he was found not guilty in July of this year.
“Our historic executive order was lauded by advocates, elected officials, and every candidate for mayor,” Adams wrote on social media. “It’s a shame that the City Council has once again refused to follow the will of our citizens, while simultaneously endangering pedestrians, drivers, and animals alike.”
Another horse, Lady, collapsed in a similar fashion in August, though veterinarians determined it was due to a heart condition previously unfound during the animal’s physical. However, the incident brought Ryder’s Law back into the light, and Mayor Eric Adams signed an executive order to prepare for the phasing out of the industry and provide more oversight. Both Adams and Holden cited their concern for public safety as the primary factor in eliminating the practice.
“The Council could not care less what New Yorkers think. Even a member of the Committee said openly that decisions are made behind closed doors with Council leadership and special interests, not with the public,” Holden said. “Seventy-one percent of New Yorkers say they want the horse carriage industry ended. Speaker [Adrienne] Adams and Chair [Lynn] Schulman do not want to hear from the public because they do not care about New Yorkers. They care about themselves and about special interests.”
Holden plans to finish out his term attempting to pass the law, which currently has 21 sponsors, and fears the Council will only react “if somebody is killed.” Council Member-elect Phil Wong, Holden’s budget director and incoming replacement for District 30’s seat, stated he will carry on the work for Intro. 967 and all of Holden’s bills. Wong says he must first build relationships and contacts within the City Council when his term starts in 2026 before he’s sure how he could approach the bill or other council members differently.
