PETA Statement: Central Park Conservancy Advocates for Ryder’s Law

For Immediate Release:
August 12, 2025

Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382

Below, please find a statement from PETA Director Ashley Byrne in response to the Central Park Conservancy’s announcement that they are calling for a ban on horse-drawn carriages and support Ryder’s Law:

“The Central Park Conservancy’s call for the passage of Ryder’s Law is now in tandem with everyone but the cruel and greedy carriage operators who work horses to death. New York City residents and visitors have complained for years that their visits to Central Park are ruined by the miserable spectacle of horses who are often lame, emaciated, or ill and bending under the weight of heavy carriages in stifling heat and frigid cold. The all-too-common incidents of spooked horses running through the park, colliding with vehicles, and dying in the streets threaten everyone’s safety. It’s time to pass Ryder’s Law and put this dangerous industry out to pasture.”

Ryder’s Law, named after a horse who also collapsed on New York City streets and later died, would ban horse-drawn carriages in the city and replace them with eco-friendly electric vehicles. 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.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to use for entertainment or abuse in any other way”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow PETA on X, Facebook, or Instagram.