Progress! Central Park Managers Now Support Horse-Drawn Carriage Ban

In a major breakthrough for the movement to end New York’s abusive carriage horse industry, the Central Park Conservancy—the nonprofit that manages the park—has formally announced their support for Ryder’s Law. Ryder’s Law, Intro. No. 967, is a pending bill before the New York City Council that would ban horse-drawn carriages within the city and mandate the humane retirement of the horses currently working in New York.

This is the first time the group has taken a public position on the horse carriage issue, despite mounting pressure over the past decade from campaigners and New York City residents to end this cruel and dangerous tourist attraction in Central Park.

The Central Park Conservancy formally requested that New York City officials ban horse carriages from the park this week in a letter from Betsy Smith, the Conservancy’s president, to Mayor Eric Adams and Council Speaker Adrienne Adams. The letter read in part:

“We do not take this position lightly, but with visitation to the park growing to record levels, we feel strongly that banning horse carriages has become a matter of public health and safety for park visitors.”

The Conservancy’s official opposition to the continued operation of horse-drawn carriages in New York comes just a week after the sudden death of Lady, a fifteen-year-old carriage horse who collapsed and died in Hell’s Kitchen, reigniting controversy around this outdated and unsafe industry.

Although the Central Park Conservancy declined to comment on the animal welfare concerns so clearly tied to this issue, noting in their letter to lawmakers, “We are not experts on animal welfare and will leave those arguments to others,” their firm opposition to horse carriages in the park signals a critical turning point in the fight to end this persistent cruelty that tarnishes New York City’s reputation and endangers public safety.