NYC Horse Carriage Controversy Escalates
Central Park Horse Death Ignites Renewed Debate Over NYC Carriage Industry Ban
Key Points
The horse’s caretaker, Nurettin Kirbiyik, told reporters through TWU that Deniz was “a beautiful horse… very friendly with kids,” and said there were “no signs the horse was sick,” adding that Deniz was eating and drinking normally before collapsing and that he felt “like he had lost a family member.”
TWU Local 100 said Deniz had been medically checked earlier this year: the union added that Deniz was examined in March by a veterinarian with the NYPD Mounted Unit and was found “fit for work,” describing the death as a sudden and catastrophic medical emergency.
Witness accounts described a dramatic and distressing final minutes. The New York Post reported the horse was “struggling and thrashing on the ground with its tongue hanging out” shortly before dying—sparking sharper public outrage over animal welfare and safety in the park.
Mayor Eric Adams had already taken administrative steps before this incident: according to the mayor’s office, in September Adams signed an executive order directing city agencies to prepare for a possible phaseout of carriage horses and to study “electric or other alternatives.”
Supporters of ending the industry said the legislative push is moving quickly. One report said Peta/NYCLASS-aligned advocates were protesting outside City Hall and that the Ryder’s Law reintroduction was scheduled for Thursday.
A 16-year-old carriage horse named Deniz collapsed and died in Central Park on Tuesday evening, thrashing on the ground for roughly ten minutes before stopping breathing near West 72nd Street New York Post. The death has reignited a decades-long fight over New York City's horse-drawn carriage industry — and this time, advocates say the votes to end it may finally be there.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani said Wednesday he supports removing carriages from the park entirely. Councilmember Christopher Marte is set to formally reintroduce Ryder's Law — a bill to phase out the industry — on Thursday, with 10 co-prime sponsors already signed on, a number Marte called "extremely unusual" 1010 WINS.
Deniz's Final Minutes Shocked Parkgoers
Deniz was pulling a carriage with two passengers on West Drive when he collapsed around 7:30 p.m. CBS News. Witnesses watched the horse struggle and thrash on the ground with his tongue hanging out for about ten minutes before he died New York Post. Bystander Danielle Leeann Chin said she was "shaking" as she described the scene CBS News.
All 68 licensed carriage horses stayed in their stables Wednesday as drivers observed a day of mourning ABC7NY. Caretaker Nurettin Kirbiyik, who owned Deniz for a decade, told reporters the horse was "very friendly with kids" and showed "no signs" of illness before the collapse. "I felt like I had lost a family member," Kirbiyik said through the union CBS News.
Ryder's Law Returns With Rare Political Momentum
Ryder's Law is named after a horse that collapsed in Hell's Kitchen in August 2022 and later died. A previous version of the bill failed in a City Council committee in November 2025 Animal Legal Defense Fund. Now, with 10 co-prime sponsors and a supportive mayor, backers say passage is close.
NYCLASS Executive Director Edita Birnkrant called Deniz's death a "nightmare" and pushed for a fast vote Newsweek. A 71% majority of NYC residents support a ban, according to a survey by Voters for Animal Rights and the Animal Legal Defense Fund Humane World. The law includes workforce retraining for the roughly 200 affected drivers, who would shift to operating electric e-carriages Animal Legal Defense Fund.
Union Says Horse Was Healthy, Death Was Sudden
TWU Local 100 says Deniz was examined by an NYPD Mounted Unit veterinarian in March 2026 and found "fit for work" New York Times. Union steward Christina Hansen called the death a "sudden and catastrophic medical emergency" — the kind, she argued, that can happen to any animal regardless of its work environment ABC7NY.
TWU President John Samuelsen accused the city of trying to "monetize the cessation" of the industry to benefit real estate developers and electric vehicle makers The Spokesman-Review. Supporters of the industry argue that pulling carriages is light work for large draft horses and that a ban would destroy a long-standing tourist tradition along with drivers' livelihoods 710 WOR.
Necropsy Planned as Safety Record Draws Scrutiny
Cornell University's veterinary college will perform a necropsy to determine the exact cause of death NYPD. Police said there is no immediate evidence of criminality. Veterinary experts note that horses in their mid-teens can be prone to sudden aortic dissections — tears in a major artery — that are hard to catch in routine exams CBS News.
The Central Park Conservancy reported at least seven horse-related incidents in the past 12 months, including cases where horses became spooked, broke free, or caused injury West Side Rag. A mare named Lady died in 2025 from an aortic rupture caused by an undetected tumor Pet Rescue Report. Former Mayor Eric Adams signed an executive order in September 2025 directing city agencies to study "electric or other alternatives" to carriages, though critics said the order lacked real enforcement Animals Matter.
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