NYC Council to Vote on Ryder's Law After 16-Year-Old Carriage Horse Dies
Updated
Updated · WABC-TV · Jun 10
NYC Council to Vote on Ryder's Law After 16-Year-Old Carriage Horse Dies
3 articles · Updated · WABC-TV · Jun 10
Summary
Dennis, a 16-year-old carriage horse, collapsed and died Tuesday night near 72nd Street in Central Park while pulling two passengers, prompting supporters to bring Ryder's Law to a full City Council vote on Thursday.
Seven horse-related incidents have already been reported in Central Park this year, and advocates say Dennis's death shows the carriage trade remains unsafe for both horses and people.
Cornell veterinarians will examine Dennis to determine the cause of death, while the drivers' union said he had passed an NYPD veterinary exam in March and could have suffered a sudden health event.
Ryder's Law would phase out horse-drawn carriages, move horses to sanctuary pastures and retrain drivers and handlers; a similar push failed in a City Council Health Committee vote last November.
The bill is named for Ryder, a carriage horse that died in 2022 after collapsing; his true age was later found to be 26, intensifying the long-running fight over the industry.