Campaigns
Free the Horses
The WHO's first real-world campaign: end horse-drawn carriages in Central Park and transition to electric alternatives. No horse loses its life. No worker loses their job.
Mayor Mamdani and Speaker Menin have a deal to end the carriages. The full Council votes Thursday, October 22, 2026 on Romanch's Law.
The Problem
Every day in New York City, horses are forced to haul heavy carriages through some of the most congested streets in the country. They breathe car exhaust for hours, pound pavement in extreme heat and cold, and are denied everything natural to them — pasture, open movement, herd life.
They're prey animals. When they spook — and they do, regularly — it is not only horses who get hurt. On June 17, 2026, a horse named Sampson bolted near Tavern on the Green while the driver had stepped away to photograph a family visiting from India for his graduation. Romanch Mahajan, 18, fell from the overturned carriage and died at the hospital; relatives said he may have jumped trying to help his mother. The rest of his family escaped with minor injuries. The Central Park Conservancy called it the eighth horse-related incident in the park in 13 months, and the first known passenger death in more than 150 years of carriage rides there. Less than two weeks earlier, another carriage horse had died in the same park. New York Times coverage.
On June 9, 2026, a carriage horse named Deniz collapsed and died near Strawberry Fields and West 72nd Street around 7:30 p.m., thrashing on the pavement for roughly ten minutes as parkgoers watched. A preliminary necropsy by Cornell University found needles from toxic Japanese yew in his stomach and intestines; final results were still pending at time of reporting. CBS New York on the necropsy. The incident came less than 24 hours before advocates rallied at City Hall to reintroduce Ryder's Law. New York Post coverage.
On May 18, 2026, two horse-drawn carriages collided in Central Park near West 59th Street; one carriage overturned and the driver was hospitalized. The horses were reported uninjured that day — luck, not safety. It happened during a heat advisory, while advocates again called for the City Council to pass Ryder's Law. New York Times coverage.
In May 2025, three horses bolted in Central Park in a single week, injuring at least four people. No amount of regulation can prevent a startle response.
A 2022 poll found 71% of NYC voters oppose horse-drawn carriages. Major cities worldwide — Beijing, Paris, London, New Delhi — have already banned them. Even Palm Beach and Biloxi have moved on. New York is behind.
The Central Park Conservancy, the nonprofit that maintains the park, broke decades of neutrality in August 2025 and called on city leaders to end horse-drawn carriages in Central Park. In a letter to the mayor and City Council speaker, Conservancy president Elizabeth W. Smith wrote that with record visitation, banning carriages has become a matter of public health and safety for park visitors, citing runaway incidents, damage to park drives from carriages and horseshoes, and manure left on the roads despite cleanup rules. The Conservancy endorsed Ryder's Law. New York Times coverage.
In memory
Horses who have died or been injured in recent years working NYC's carriage trade:
The Plan
Romanch's Law phases the carriages out and requires the city to help workers find other jobs. The WHO is still pushing two pieces the bill does not require: sanctuary retirement for every horse, and electric carriages so drivers can keep the park route.
For the horses: sanctuary retirement
- •Every retired horse goes to an accredited sanctuary — no auctions, no resale.
- •The WHO fundraises to cover transport, intake, and the first year of care.
- •Partnerships with established organizations like Catskill Animal Sanctuary and Equine Advocates.
- •Every real retired horse gets a named tribute horse in the WHO digital sanctuary — keeping their story alive.
- •Transparent public tracking: where each horse is, how they're doing, with regular updates.
For the workers: electric carriages
- •Same routes through Central Park. Same scenic experience for tourists. Same tips for drivers — including the largely immigrant workforce that depends on this work today.
- •Existing carriage medallion holders convert to electric permits at no cost.
- •Funded training program on EV operation — short and practical, these are experienced drivers.
- •Vehicle subsidies so the switch costs workers nothing.
- •Vintage-style electric carriages preserve the classic aesthetic without the animal.
For the city: a smooth transition
- •18–24 month wind-down period. No cliff — horse licenses sunset gradually while electric permits ramp up.
- •Tourists still get the carriage ride. It just doesn't require a living animal to suffer.
- •Quieter, zero-emission vehicles improve the park experience for everyone.
Where Things Stand
Romanch's Law (Int 0943-2026) is the carriage phase-out bill, renamed after Romanch Mahajan was killed in June. Council Member Christopher Marte introduced it. 29members are co-sponsors. It stops new horse-drawn cab licenses after May 31, 2028 and prohibits operations beginning June 1, 2028. Owners cannot sell or transfer a carriage horse for slaughter or for another carriage business. The city has to run a workforce program: job referrals, career counseling, hiring events, tuition assistance, and help placing horses humanely. A prior version, then called Ryder's Law, was voted down in committee in November 2025 (4–1, with 2 abstentions).
The Health Committee heard the bill on July 15, 2026 and laid it over. On October 13, Politico reported that Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who had withheld support until the text added stronger worker protections, agreed to back it. His office said the administration had been working with the Council, union partners, drivers, and advocates on a transition that ends the carriages. Speaker Julie Menin scheduled a full Council vote for Thursday, October 22, 2026. Her office confirmed the date the next morning. Reporting on the negotiated text says referrals include the MTA, the Port Authority, sightseeing companies, and pedicab operators, that owners must certify humane disposition by March 1, 2027, and that the city must consider compensation for owners, with a plan due by April 2027. The Transport Workers Union still opposes the bill. President John Samuelsen said it does not guarantee economic relief for drivers and owners.
The WHO supports the October 22 vote. NYCLASS remains the lead on Council lobbying, and we send people to their tools. Sanctuary placement and electric carriages are still our work on top of what the bill requires.
Full Council vote — Thursday, October 22, 2026
Speaker Julie Menin is bringing Romanch's Law to the full Council. 29 of 51 members are already co-sponsors, and the mayor is backing the revised bill.
- When: Thursday, October 22, 2026
- Where: Council Chambers, New York City Hall
- Watch: The stated meeting is webcast live. Select “City Hall, Council Chambers.”
The useful thing before then is a message to your Council member. NYCLASS and Voters For Animal Rights both route those notes. Speaker Menin's office is also forming a working group with the administration and labor to handle the phase-out if the bill passes.
Common Questions
“Aren't the horses well cared for? They get vet checks and mandatory rest.”
Regulated cruelty is still cruelty. No amount of regulation changes the core problem: prey animals hauling weight through Midtown traffic, deprived of pasture, herd life, and natural movement. The mandatory rest is downtime at upstate rotation farms — not retirement.
“These horses would be sent to slaughter without this industry.”
If the best defense is "we're better than a slaughterhouse," the bar is underground. Romanch's Law bars selling or transferring a carriage horse for slaughter or for another carriage business. Multiple rescue organizations have pledged capacity, and the WHO is fundraising to cover placement costs.
“Horse carriages are a historic part of Central Park.”
Central Park was designed in 1858 when horses were the primary mode of transportation. The city has changed. The Central Park Conservancy itself now says carriages are incompatible with a modern, heavily used park. History evolves. We can honor the aesthetic with electric carriages that look classic but don't require a living animal to suffer for a tourist photo.
“What about the 300+ jobs?”
The drivers' union is right that these jobs matter — they're an important source of work for an overwhelmingly immigrant workforce. Romanch's Law requires the city to help those workers find other jobs. The WHO still wants those same drivers on electric carriages: same routes, same tips, same scenic experience, without a prey animal — or the person behind it — in harm's way. Funded training and vehicle subsidies so the switch costs workers nothing.
“Isn't this really a real estate land grab for the stable property?”
The WHO has zero real estate interest. We want the horses freed, not the stables sold. If the stables can be repurposed as electric carriage depots or community space, great.
“The horses seem calm and content.”
Learned helplessness looks like calm. These are herd animals denied everything natural to them — open grazing, free movement, bonding with other horses. Not visibly suffering is not the same as thriving.
“Won't the horses just end up at another job somewhere else?”
Romanch's Law bars resale into another carriage business or for slaughter. The WHO will track and publicly report on every horse we help place — where they are, how they're doing, with regular photo updates.
What the WHO Is Doing
The World Horse Organization exists because horses deserve freedom. That mission doesn't stop at the digital sanctuary. Here's how we're contributing to the real-world fight:
- NowThis page. Raising awareness and making the case publicly.
- NowSeeking partnership with NYCLASS — amplifying their campaign and linking to their action tools.
- SoonIn-game credit purchases fund the WHO mission. Profits from microtransactions go directly to the cause.
- SoonA public running total of funds raised, displayed right here.
- LaterTribute horses in the game for every real horse retired from Central Park service.
Reporting
- Oct. 14, 2026 — Full Council will vote October 22 on Romanch's Law (New York City Council)
- Oct. 13, 2026 — Mamdani and Menin strike a deal to end the carriage industry (Politico)
- Oct. 13, 2026 — Council sets an October 22 vote after the mayor signs on (amNewYork)
- Oct. 13, 2026 — Mamdani and the Council reach a deal to end carriage rides (CNN)
- June 18, 2026 — Teen tourist killed after runaway carriage overturns in Central Park (New York Times)
- June 9, 2026 — Carriage horse Deniz collapses and dies near Strawberry Fields (New York Post)
- May 19, 2026 — Two carriages collide; driver hospitalized near West 59th Street (New York Times)
- Aug. 12, 2025 — Central Park Conservancy calls for end of horse-drawn carriages (New York Times)
How you can help
Ask your Council member to vote yes
The full Council votes Thursday, October 22, 2026 on Romanch's Law( Int 0943-2026). NYCLASS and Voters For Animal Rights can route a note to your member before then. VFAR's form is third-party advocacy; it may reference a prior Council speaker, but still helps reach elected officials. Vote details.
Join the World Horse Organization
Joining creates your WHO account and access to the digital sanctuary. You do not need an account for campaign action above. In-game credit purchases will fund real-world sanctuary placement; that store is not live yet.