Not One More Death: New Call for a Ban on Horse-Drawn Carriages Towers Over NYC
For Immediate Release:
June 22, 2026
Contact:
Nicole Perreira 202-483-7382
A photo of Deniz, the 16-year-old horse who collapsed and died last week while being forced to pull a carriage in Central Park, now looms over New York City in a sky-high message from PETA, calling on city council members to urgently pass Ryder’s Law—the city’s proposed horse-drawn carriage ban—before anyone else is injured or killed due to the dangerous carriages. The message comes just days after an 18-year-old tourist died following a horse carriage crash in Central Park. The alert is located at the corner of 40th Street and Eighth Avenue, near the Hell’s Kitchen horse stables and across from the Port Authority Bus Terminal.
Following the teen’s death, PETA is calling on Mayor Mamdani for an emergency stoppage of horse-drawn carriage operations immediately, until Ryder’s Law is passed.
Ryder’s Law, named after a horse who collapsed on New York City streets and later died, would eliminate horse-drawn carriages and provide job retraining for drivers. The proposal came after video footage of Ryder lying on Ninth Avenue went viral, and reports that his driver slapped him, whipped him, and screamed at him to get up sparked outrage.
“The majority of New Yorkers want this bloodshed to end and fully support a carriage-horse ban, which would have prevented the tragic deaths of Deniz, dozens of other horses, and teenage tourist Romanch Mahajan,” says PETA Director Ashley Byrne. “How many more horses and people must suffer and die due to the New York City council members’ inaction? PETA is calling on them to pass Ryder’s Law immediately.”
Horses in the carriage industry are forced to toil in all weather extremes—dodging traffic, inhaling exhaust fumes, and pounding hard pavement all day long—leading to respiratory ailments and debilitating leg problems. Impatient and careless drivers have caused multiple incidents in which carriages have been hit, injuring and killing both horses and humans.
PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to use for entertainment”—points out that when it comes to the ability to feel pain, hunger, and fear, a horse is a dog is a boy. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow PETA on X, Facebook, or Instagram.
