Latest news with #RydersLaw
CBS News
7 days ago
- Politics
- CBS News
NYC's Central Park Conservancy calls for ban on carriage horses in the park
For the first time, New York City's Central Park Conservancy is calling for a ban on carriage horses in the park. Conservancy President and CEO Elizabeth W. Smith wrote to Mayor Eric Adams and City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams to voice concerns about the treatment of the horses, as well as the safety of pedestrians. "We do not take this position lightly, but with visitation to the park growing to record levels, we feel strongly that banning horse carriages has become a matter of public health and safety for Park visitors," Smith wrote. She said the Conservancy is supporting the passage of Ryder's Law, which would prevent new carriage licenses from being issued and end carriage operations altogether, starting June 1, 2026. Ryder's Law is named for a carriage horse that collapsed in 2022 and died of cancer a few months later. His handler was found not guilty of animal abuse in a trial last month. The Conservancy's letter comes one week after a carriage horse collapsed and died on 11th Avenue. Among her concerns, Smith cited two recent incidents where horses got away from their handlers and ran free down the roadway before they were caught. "These events underscore the unpredictable nature of horses in an increasingly crowded and dynamic urban environment, and the risk to public safety can no longer be responsibly overlooked," Smith said. Another issue, Smith said, is the damage she says carriages are causing to the park's roadways. "It is not fair that this relatively tiny subset of commercial operators is allowed to do such damage to the park at the expense of the millions of joggers, cyclists, walkers and other visitors to the park each year," she said. She also accused carriage drivers of failing to clean up after their horses and ignoring no-parking signs. "Our paramount concern is for the health and safety of the people who love the park, and it is in their name that we respectfully request that we turn the page on horse carriages, just as other major cities across the globe already have. It is time," Smith wrote. The Transport Workers Union called the Conservancy's support for Ryder's Law outrageous and accused the organization of "desecrating the park's storied history." TWU International President John Samuelsen said in a statement that Smith calling horse-drawn carriages a public safety concern "is absolutely ridiculous." "The Conservancy has failed miserably to manage the swarming hordes of unlicensed and illegally motorized pedicabs, e-bikes, and electric scooters that pose the real threat," Samuelsen wrote. "Its redesign of park drives with new markings directing the different modes of travel is a complete disaster and universally despised. It fails to designate a mixed-use lane for carriages to use as there had been. No wonder it's even more chaotic than before." He said the union is calling for a horse stable in Central Park on land that is not currently open to the public so horses would not have to walk on city streets, adding that it could also be used for educational and therapeutic purposes. The union says the passage of Ryder's Law would impact about 200 workers in the carriage horse industry. There are currently 68 carriages with city-issued medallions that are operated by a total of about 170 drivers and owner-drivers. The stable for carriage horses employs about 30 staff members to care for about 200 city-licensed horses.
CBS News
08-08-2025
- Health
- CBS News
Carriage horse that collapsed in Hell's Kitchen died of an aortic rupture, union says
The cause of death of a carriage horse that collapsed and died in Hell's Kitchen Tuesday has been determined, the union representing carriage horse operators said Friday. Lady, a 15-year-old horse that had just been brought to New York City from Pennsylvania in June, suffered an aortic rupture likely caused by a small tumor in her adrenal gland, the union said. Transit Workers Union Local 100 said the cause of death was determined following a necropsy performed Wednesday at Cornell University Collage of Veterinary Medicine. A prior physical when Lady arrived in New York City turned up no issues. In a statement, TWU Local 100 said it was "tragic and sad loss, and we are all mourning Lady's death. However, at least we now have some answers. The reality is that this sudden-death medical episode would kill a horse anywhere — in a field, park, stable, trail, or street — at any time." Lady collapsed and died at 51st Street and 11th Avenue while heading back to her stable after giving two rides in Central Park. Video from the scene showed the horse on the ground as workers dragged the dead animal into a trailer. "The pathologist's report does not include any observations indicating neglect or abuse. In fact, the pathologist who evaluated Lady's weight, coat, and muscle tone wrote she was 'in good body condition,'" the union said. Lady's death sparked renewed calls for what's called Ryder's Law, which is named after a horse that collapsed back in 2022. Ryder died of cancer several months later following a medical retirement. Ryder's handler Ian McKeever was charged with animal cruelty and found not guilty at trial last month. Ryder's Law would phase out horse-drawn carriages in the city slowly over time. Advocates rallied Wednesday, calling for an end to carriage horses in the city. "How long will this continue? How long will these horses have to suffer? How long will the City Council just ignore Ryder's Law?" City Councilman Robert Holden said Wednesday. Holden took aim at carriage horse handlers in his remarks. "They don't care about horses, or they wouldn't work them to death. They work the horses to death," Holden said. Christina Hansen, who represents the carriage drivers in the city, took issue with that. "There's no horse abuse happening on the streets of New York or here inside the walls of the West 52nd Street Stable," Hansen said. "The fact that they would exploit the tragedy and have no compassion for the people that actually knew this horse, who drove this horse, who owned this horse, who took care of this horse 24 hours a day just shows you where their priorities are." "This happens over and over again. This is not an isolated ... this is systematic abuse that is being rubber stamped by the City Council," said Edita Birnkrant, executive direction of New Yorkers for Clean, Livable, and Safe Streets. "There is no protection for horses. That's why Ryder, an elderly horse with cancer, was worked to death. Lady, a 15-year-old horse, dropped dead on the street. Sick, suffering horses are allowed to be worked to death." "There was zero wrongdoing or negligence here," said Lady's veterinarian Dr. Gabriel Cook, who did not conduct the necropsy.
CBS News
06-08-2025
- CBS News
Advocates rally for Ryder's Law after carriage horse collapses and dies in NYC
Supporters of a carriage horse that collapsed and died in Hell's Kitchen held a rally Wednesday, making their voices heard across the street from the stable where the horse lived. But the carriage drivers' union says there is more to the story. The 15-year-old horse named Lady collapsed and died Tuesday at 51st Street and 11th Avenue. Stable workers and the NYPD were seen working to remove the horse's body from the road and place it into a trailer. The city's Department of Health regulates the horse carriage industry and is investigating Lady's death. A preliminary necropsy is expected later Wednesday. The incident has reinvigorated advocates of what's called Ryder's Law, which, if passed by the City Council, would phase out horse drawn carriages in the city slowly over time. They say the industry is dangerous and inhumane toward the horses. The union says horses are required to pass annual vet checks and follow strict temperature guidelines, but critics say the enforcement is weak and outdated. Christina Hansen, who represents the carriage drivers in the city, said Lady had a physical in June when she first started in New York City and "no abnormalities were detected." Hansen said Wednesday those looking to phase out the industry are missing the point altogether. "I was shocked, I'm like, 'Oh no, what happened?' Then I thought, the animal rights people are going to love this," she said. "The fact that they would exploit the tragedy and have no compassion for the people that actually knew this horse, who drove this horse, who owned this horse, who took care of this horse 24 hours a day just shows you where their priorities are." Ryder's Law is named after a horse that collapsed during a hot summer day back in 2022. Ryder died of cancer a couple months later following a medical retirement. The horse's handler, Ian McKeever, was found not guilty in an animal abuse trial last month. Alice Gainer contributed to this report.
