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For decades, the horse-drawn carriages clip-clopping through Central Park have been one of those quintessential New York sights that make tourists swoon and locals roll their eyes. Depending on who you ask, they’re either romantic relics of a bygone era or cruel anachronisms that don’t belong anywhere near midtown traffic. Now, the fight over their future has a heavyweight player: Mayor Eric Adams.
On September 17, Adams announced his support for Ryder’s Law, a bill that would ban carriage horses in New York City by June of 2026. It’s a significant political shift, not least because the mayor has been notably cautious about taking a position until now. But citing a series of disturbing incidents (including the highly publicized 2022 collapse and death of a horse named Ryder, the August death of another horse named Lady, and last month’s runaway carriage horse Bambi), Adams framed the move as a matter of both safety and compassion. “While horse-drawn carriages have long been an iconic fixture of Central Park,” he said in a statement, “they are increasingly incompatible with the conditions of a modern, heavily used urban green space.”
The timing is no accident. The Central Park Conservancy backed a ban last month, arguing that carriages were damaging the park’s roadways and threatening the safety of its 40 million annual visitors. Their endorsement gave the campaign new legitimacy, making it harder for City Hall to stay on the sidelines.
Ryder’s Law currently has 20 supporters on the City Council, a handful shy of a majority, and its future depends on whether Adams’s push gives wavering members cover to sign on. The Transport Workers Union Local 100, which represents drivers and stablehands, is furious. Union president John Samuelsen blasted the mayor for betraying working-class New Yorkers, accusing him of selling out to real estate developers eyeing the stables’ West Side plots.
Animal rights groups, on the other hand, are celebrating. Edita Birnkrant of NYCLASS hailed the move as a “lifesaving step,” and pointed out that other mayoral contenders, including Democrat Zohran Mamdani and Republican Curtis Sliwa, have already pledged to ban the industry. Even former mayor Bill de Blasio chimed in on social media: “It really is time to get this done.”
Whether Ryder’s Law finally ends the reign (and reins) of the carriage horse remains to be seen. New York nostalgia is one thing, but this city is always changing. And sometimes even icons have to retire.