“Horse-drawn carriages have been part of New York City’s history since before cars, but our city has changed drastically,” a city official said

NEED TO KNOW

• The New York City Council passed Romanch’s Law, which will ban horse-drawn carriages by June 2028 once Mayor Zohran Mamdani signs it, on Thursday, Oct. 22.
• The death of 18-year-old Romanch Mahajan in June 2026 sparked renewed interest in the ban
• A two-year transition aims to ensure humane retirement and placement for the city’s carriage horses

New York City has passed a bill that will eliminate horse-drawn carriages in Central Park.

The N.Y.C. Council passed Romanch’s Law, formerly known as Ryder’s Law, which will phase out the tradition by 2028, city officials announced on Thursday, Oct. 22.

“The mayor will sign this bill, and the Mamdani administration is working every day to ensure we can do so while providing the strongest possible protections for the owners and workers in this industry,” Sneha Choudhary, a spokesperson for Mayor Zohran Mamdani, said after his office helped draft the bill, The New York Times reported.

As of Thursday, the law is set to take effect on June 1, 2028, per the city council’s announcement.

The two-year transition will allow operators “to ensure the humane retirement and placement of carriage horses,” the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) said in a statement on its website praising the bill.

Horse-drawn carriages in Central Park date back to 1858, but animal rights groups have argued that the mode of transportation-turned-tourist attraction is inhumane.

“Horse-drawn carriages have been part of New York City’s history since before cars, but our city has changed drastically,” Council Member Lynn Schulman, Chair of the Committee on Health, said in the council’s release.

The bill comes four months after 18-year-old Romanch Mahajan died after sustaining injuries when he fell from a horse-drawn carriage in Central Park on June 17.

That same month, a 16-year-old carriage horse collapsed and died while pulling passengers in Central Park. Both incidents sparked renewed interest in the banning of the attraction.

“The risks associated with carriage horses are inherent: forcing horses to pull carriages through New York City’s busy, loud streets is unsafe and places an undeniable strain on their quality of life,” Matt Bershadker, ASPCA president and CEO, said in the organization’s statement.

“After decades of debate, repeated accidents, incremental reforms, and renewed public concern following the tragic death of Romanch Mahajan, the New York City Council has moved beyond temporary fixes and passed Romanch’s Law — a lasting solution that protects horses, supports workers, and reflects the values of a modern city,” Bershadker continued.

He also commended city council members “for their leadership in passing this historic legislation,” and remained hopeful that Mamdani would sign the bill.

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The vote “marks a historic milestone for animals,” Kitty Block, president and CEO of Humane World for Animals, said. “For decades, New York City’s carriage horse industry has operated on a fantasy that these horses can carry some semblance of a former world.” 

She argued that “animals are not symbols,” but “living, breathing individuals with needs, instincts and intentions all their own.” 

“By ending the use of horse-drawn carriages, the City Council has recognized that no maintenance of tradition should come at the expense of risks to animals and people,” Block added.

The mayor has 30 days to sign, veto, or allow the bill to pass without action on his part, per the CEO of Humane World for Animals.

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