New York City Council has passed a bill to gradually end the horse-drawn carriage industry by mid-2028. The business has operated for more than 165 years, and its rides have long been promoted as a tourist attraction.
At a public hearing earlier this year, carriage driver and stable manager Conor McHugh described the rides as one of the city's best-known experiences. He said visitors come from around the world to take a carriage ride in the park, presenting it as a traditional part of New York life.
However, critics have long raised concerns about animal welfare, meaning how the horses are treated and cared for, as well as public safety. Efforts to stop the rides have continued for decades. The campaign gained fresh strength this year after Romanch Mahajan, a teenage tourist from India, died in a June incident involving a carriage horse that had run out of control.
