10/22/2026
HOORAY! THE NEW YORK CITY COUNCIL FINALLY PASSES A BAN ON HORSE-DRAWN CARRIAGES!
History has just been made as the New York City Council just passed Intro 943 (“Romanch’s Law”) which will ban the cruel, inhumane and anachronistic NYC carriage horse trade. The law was named to honor the memory of the late Romanch Mahajan, a young tourist who tragically lost his life in June when he was thrown from a horse-drawn carriage and later died of his injuries.
We at Equine Advocates would like to thank and congratulate NYC Council Speaker , Council Member who sponsored the legislation, the Members of the NYC Council who supported and voted for it, and all of the activists and advocates who have worked long and hard to end a business that has no place in a crowded and congested city like New York. Within the next 30 days, we expect New York City Mayor to sign the bill into law. When he does, he will deserve a huge amount of credit as past NYC mayors have failed miserably to get this done.
As this business is gradually phased out, the estimated 150 former NYC carriage horses will need to be placed in accredited sanctuaries. We will do our part and look forward to working with those overseeing the placement of the horses. Based on our own firsthand experience, having rescued several NYC carriage horses in the past, these animals are going to require health care and treatment for their injuries which I believe most will need.
New York City follows Chicago, Salt Lake City, Palm Beach, Santa Fe, Las Vegas, Portland, Philadelphia, and other cities across the country which have banned the urban carriage horse trade because it has been cited as a threat to public safety, not to mention the serious animal cruelty issues involved. This legislation has been long overdue, and about time too!
Finally, I would like to recognize , president of the Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages, who was the first activist to publicly call for a ban of the NYC carriage horse trade. I would also like to acknowledge , DVM, the late great animal activist, animal welfare advocate, humanitarian and veterinarian extraordinaire who worked tirelessly on this issue for decades, and would have been elated to finally see horse-drawn carriages banned in NYC. It was Holly who first coined the phrase, "Nose to tailpipe existence" when describing the toxic exhausts and fumes the carriage horses are exposed to every day in heavy traffic. Holly, you are here with all of us in spirit! I also would like to recognize the late great who founded the Carriage Horse Action Committee in NYC back in 1986. Peggy was an early pioneer on this issue and helped to expose the cruelty of horse-drawn carriages to New Yorkers and the public. Last, but not least I must mention former NYC carriage horse, the late great whose rescue from slaughter on June 25, 2010, proved to the world, that urban carriage horses from NYC were (and still are), sold for slaughter when they outlive their usefulness. Bobby was retired at our horse sanctuary where he lived out the rest of his life until his passing on June 14, 2022, at the ripe old age of 32!
Photo of Bobby II Freedom by Nousha Salimi
