Horse carriage crash in Central Park renews push for Ryder’s Law
With both drivers hospitalized and video of runaway horses circulating online, advocates call on lawmakers to ban horse-drawn carriages in NYC.
Two horse-drawn carriages collided with each other in Central Park, hospitalizing the two carriage operators and reigniting calls to ban the industry in New York City.
The incident happened on Monday, May 26, in front of the 60th Street & East Drive marker in Central Park. One of the horses was startled and ran westbound toward 5th Avenue, while the second bolted north along 60th Street, according to a statement from the New York Police Department (NYPD).
Both carriage operators “sustained minor injuries while attempting to regain control of the horses,” according to the NYPD. “Emergency medical services transported both individuals to local hospitals.”
It is not clear if any passengers were in the carriages at the time of the incident.
The horses were not severely injured and were back to pulling carriages on the south end of Central Park later that evening, reports ABC News.
Video footage of the incident shows a horse named Shadow pulling a carriage through Central Park without its driver, followed closely by a second runaway horse and carriage, with a man seen running after it.
The union that represents carriage horse drivers says Shadow’s headpiece came off while he was eating. When his driver tried to fix it, the horse escaped. A second driver ran to help, but his horse followed Shadow. He then broke his wrist while catching his horse and needed surgery.
"It was crazy. A lot of people were screaming. People that were scared for their lives," said pedicab driver Daouda Dapsota, who was parked near the Fifth Avenue entrance of the park and witnessed the incident.
"Are New York City Council Members, Speaker Adams, Mayor Eric Adams, and TWU President John Sameulsen waiting for New Yorkers and tourists to be killed before Ryder's Law is passed, finally shutting down these cruel and unsafe horse-drawn carriages?” Edita Birnkrant, executive director of New Yorkers for Clean, Livable, and Safe Streets (NYCLASS), an animal welfare group that campaigns for a ban on the horse carriage industry, shared in a statement.
“In the past week alone, three runaway horse incidents have resulted in injuries and near-fatalities. Horses are naturally skittish animals that can easily become frightened and bolt. Allowing horse-drawn carriages to continue operating in Midtown is government malpractice, putting everyone at risk,” she continued.
A City Hall spokesperson said in a statement, "Mayor Adams and our entire administration work every single day to keep New Yorkers safe. This incident is deeply concerning, and we are looking into it. We will review any proposed legislation."
Ryder’s Law
In 2022, a carriage horse named Ryder was filmed collapsing on a sidewalk in New York. In passerby footage which went viral, the horse can be seen being whipped and hit by his owner while in a collapsed state. According to a subsequent veterinary examination, Ryder was malnourished, sick, and elderly, and he was euthanized a few months after the incident.
Collapsed Ryder in the viral footage. Credit: Voters For Animal Rights
Ryder’s tragic story went on to inspire a proposed new legislation - named Ryder’s Law - that seeks to replace horse-drawn carriages in the city with electric carriages.
If passed, the bill would follow similar bans in other cities like Chicago, Salt Lake City, and Palm Beach.
"Ryder's death was the result of savage cruelty and greed,” said Birnkrant at the time. “To make a profit, the horse carriage industry would have literally worked Ryder to death if it weren't for viral videos and the people who exposed their endless lies and cover-ups. Their mistreatment of Ryder is the reason he is dead two months later."
Other high-profile incidents include 12-year-old mare, Aisha, who collapsed and died while giving carriage rides in Central Park back in 2020. Before her death, she was filmed stumbling and unable to straighten her back legs, before completely collapsing. In an effort to make her stand, carriage-industry workers appeared to blow smoke into Aisha’s face, leading her to flip over in terror.
And in 2021, a New York carriage horse named Chief crashed into the back of a BMW and suffered deep lacerations to his midsection, head, and front right leg.
Join 7,454 other Species Unite supporters in urging New York councilors to end the horse drawn carriage industry and pass Ryder’s Law. Add your name to the petition here.
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