New York City Council votes to ban horse-drawn carriages
The ban is set to take effect June 1, 2028. Mayor Zohran Mamdani is expected to sign the legislation.
New York’s City Council approved legislation to prohibit horse-drawn carriages in a 40 to 7 vote, with two members abstaining. The measure would end a Central Park tourist tradition that dates back to the 19th century.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani is expected to sign the bill, with the ban taking effect June 1, 2028. The legislation also bars selling the horses for slaughter or transferring them to another carriage business.
The decision follows more than a decade of conflict between animal-rights campaigners and the city’s roughly 150 drivers, backed by their union. Politicians and celebrities have taken positions on both sides.
Carriage supporters regard the rides as part of New York’s character, with film and television helping sustain their romantic image. Opponents argue that horses no longer belong amid the traffic, pollution and congestion of city streets.
