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Update (July 15, 2026): New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin and Committee on Health Chair, Lynn Schulman held a historic hearing on Intro 943—Romanch’s Law (formerly known as Ryder’s Law). The bill was renamed after 18-year-old Romanch Mahajan, who was tragically killed after falling from a runaway horse-drawn carriage in Central Park while trying to save his mother.
The hearing included testimony in favor of a ban from PETA Honorary Director Edie Falco, the Mahajan family, animal protection organizations, veterinarians, and hundreds of compassionate New Yorkers, Romanch’s Law now has a majority of cosponsors, bringing us closer than ever to a ban on New York City’s deadly horse-drawn carriage industry. The next step is a full City Council vote!
Update (June 8, 2026): A 16-year-old horse named Deniz dropped dead after being forced to pull a carriage in New York City's Central Park. Eyewitnesses report that he struggled in agony on the pavement for ten minutes without medical attention while traumatized onlookers watched helplessly.
Deniz is far from the first victim. In 2022, an emaciated horse named Ryder collapsed on a busy New York City street, likely due to illness and heat exhaustion. He lay on Ninth Avenue for over an hour—with no veterinary care—while his driver slapped him, whipped him, and screamed at him to get up. Ryder died malnourished, sick, and elderly—his owner had lied about his age to the city. Ryder’s driver was charged in New York City Criminal Court with overdriving, torturing, and injuring animals, although he was later acquitted in spite of video evidence. In 2025, another horse, Lady, collapsed and died pulling a carriage in Midtown Manhattan. Another, Michelle—emaciated and covered in sores—was forced to haul tourists in sweltering heat even after residents reported her condition to authorities.
These are not isolated incidents. Laws regulating the industry have long failed these animals. The city lacks the resources or inclination to enforce regulations, and carriage operators fight and flout every rule meant to protect horses and the public. A ban is the only real solution—and momentum is building.
Horses are not machines. They are individuals—social beings who deserve to live on their own terms, not haul strangers through traffic. PETA has joined NYCLASS and other local advocates to demand the city end this exploitation, but these horses can no longer wait.
Please urge New York City Council Members to support the quick passage of Romanch’s Law, which would ban horse carriages in New York City.