The clip-clop of carriage horses will fade into the pages of history in June 2028 after the New York City Council voted in late October to abolish the tourist trade. As the driver’s union prepares legal challenges, the question begs, which equine disciplines are next?
The obvious targets continue to be Tennessee Walking Horses, racehorses, rodeos and the remaining carriage horses around the world. Yet, a surprising answer came on the heels of New York’s 40-7 vote (Please see “Union Sues After NYC Bans Carriage Horses).
“We’re looking at [the New York Police Department Mounted Patrol], as well,” NYC Councilmember Christopher Marte, who wrote the bill banning carriage horses, told PIX on Politics. “This is not the end of the conversation, especially when it comes to animal welfare in our city. This is just the next step, the next fight. We’re going to continue to make sure that animals are respected.”
Animal welfare is an interesting and oft-used phrase among those who are targeting horses. The New York City carriage horses are the most regulated in the world. They can be inspected at any time by city officials, law enforcement, veterinarians and the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
None of these facts move the needle for them. They cry abuse when a horse trips, dies from colic or simply from pulling a carriage.
“All the humans against the ban can volunteer to pull the carriages themselves,” is a common refrain from those who support the ban.
An owner of Austin, Texas-based Angeli Carriages — all 5 feet, 115 lbs., of her — debunked the claims that a 1,500-pound horse can’t handle the rigors of pulling a carriage by easily pulling it herself down a road. Unfortunately, the business closed following a sharp decline following the Covid pandemic.
Of course, the response from a typical ban supporter is that the horse has no say. Dr. Gabriel Cook, a board certified equine surgeon, disagrees.
“They are designed to work, they like to work, and, if healthy, they absolutely should work,” he tells amNY. “Based on the horses I evaluate and observe at the stables, I can say without hesitation that these horses are not mistreated or neglected.”
After the tragic death of Ramanch Mahajan, an 18-year-old tourist who jumped from a carriage drawn by a bolting horse in June, the focus shifted to public safety.
“It has been noted widely that Mahajan’s death, while untimely and heartbreaking, was the only fatality ever associated with the 168-year-old industry, while e-bike and scooter crashes regularly kill riders and pedestrians,” according to Transport Workers Union International and its Local 100 drivers.
By comparison, there were 28 bike fatalities and 738 injuries through late October 2026, according to The New York Times. Since 2022, 102 e-bike riders and pedestrians have died, while another 17,434 have been injured, according to AAE Law.
The needle remains unmoved while they continue to target horses doing the work they enjoy and bred to do.
So, who’s next? Will it be Tennessee Walkers? There are some in the farrier industry who wouldn’t blink. What if they came after your discipline — eventers, reiners, hunters, jumpers?
Facts and evidence don’t matter to activists. Will your needle move?
