PETITION TARGET: New York City Council
In a tragic and needless fatality, 18-year-old tourist Romanch Mahajan died from a head injury after a carriage horse bolted in Central Park, hurling him to the ground.
Just days before that deadly crash, a 16-year-old horse named Deniz collapsed and died while pulling tourists through Central Park.
Romanch’s fatality led to a temporary suspension of carriage rides and renewed calls to end the industry. But sadly, these are only the latest in a long history of preventable incidents in New York City, where horses are forced to work on busy, noisy roadways, even in harsh weather conditions.
The death of an elderly horse named Ryder, who collapsed in Manhattan during a summer heat wave in 2022, sparked a bill in the New York City Council to end this cruel and outdated practice. Ryder was seen exhausted and struggling to walk before he fell in the middle of traffic, and was later euthanized after veterinarians determined he was suffering from serious medical conditions.
Ryder’s Law initially stalled, but has now been reintroduced and renamed Romanch’s law following the young tourist’s death.
It’s time for New York City to finally end the horse-drawn carriage industry for good.
There’s nothing charming or romantic about horses and people suffering and dying for tourism and profit.
That’s why we’re urging support for Romanch’s Law, which would not only end horse-drawn carriage rides but also assist industry workers in finding alternative employment.
Many other cities, including Key West, Salt Lake City, Philadelphia, San Antonio, and Chicago have already banned horse-drawn carriages. NYC must join them and show the world that it has compassion as well as class and character.
Sign our petition urging the New York City Council to swiftly and full-heartedly support the proposed ban on horse-drawn carriages and expeditiously shift to cruelty-free, electric carriage rides instead.
