Mayor Zohran Mamdani and New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin have reached a deal to abolish the city’s horse carriage industry.
Menin said Mamdani has agreed to back a bill that would make it illegal to operate a horse-drawn carriage in the city, starting in June 2028, in an announcement shared exclusively with POLITICO on Tuesday. Menin is scheduling a full Council vote on the measure for Oct. 22. The legislation has already secured formal support from more than half of the Council’s 51 members, so it is likely to become law now that the mayor has committed to signing it.
Friends of Animals applauds Speaker Menin for her leadership in achieving a carriage horse ban, however the phase-out should be quicker, as this timeline means the horses will still be in danger for another year-and-a-half. The carriage horse trade being deadly is not the only reason it needs to be banned—on a day-to-day basis it robs equines of their basic needs—adequate turnout for roaming free and socialization. “Lugging tourists around New York’s dangerous, congested streets is a nightmare made even worse by horses eventually being sold to slaughter,” FoA’s President Priscilla Feral said.
The updated bill shared with POLITICO, requires the city to “consider” establishing programs to compensate carriage owners for their horses. Friends of Animals is offering $25,000 to start. We invite the carriage horse owners to engage with us on this, and to allow us to place the first six horses at our San Antonio, Texas sanctuary.
The carriage trade has no future, but FoA is committed to making sure the horses do.