Will Horses Leave Central Park?

This week, the Central Park Conservancy, a private non-profit organization dedicated to preserving the park, officially endorsed Ryder’s Law. Named after a carriage horse who died in the streets of Manhattan in 2022, this city council bill would phase out horse-drawn carriages in Central Park.

In a statement shared with WFUV, the conservancy said: “We feel strongly that banning horse carriages has become a matter of public health and safety for Park visitors.”

They cited the risks of runaway horses, damage to roads, and infrastructure and traffic concerns.

However, some animal advocacy groups are more concerned about the health of horses than the state of the park. Allie Taylor, president of Voters for Animal Rights in New York City, said the carriage industry is actively harming horses.

“The time is right to pass Ryder’s law,” she said. “The longer that the city council waits to take action on this, the more horses are going to suffer.”

Not everyone agrees with the conservancy’s endorsement. Christina Hanson is a horse carriage driver in New York City. She said Ryder’s law would put nearly two hundred drivers out of work, and believes the horse carriage industry should not be removed since it has been a long-standing Central Park tradition.

“The conservancy has completely lost their way,” Hanson told FUV News. “Central Park was designed to be seen from the back of a horse carriage.”

This interview ran on the What’s What Podcast from WFUV News on August 13, 2025.