Target: Adrienne Adams, Speaker of the New York City Council, New York, New York.
Goal: Enact a full, permanent ban on horse-drawn carriages and impose maximum penalties, including license revocations, for any operators who allegedly overwork, neglect, or otherwise mistreat horses and endanger the public.
Witness accounts and news reports describe a pattern of danger and distress: a carriage horse collapsed and died near its stable, a spooked horse ran loose through crowded park paths, and two more broke free and crashed into parked pedicabs, injuring a driver. These incidents, as reported, show how prey animals forced into dense traffic and heavy tourism can be put in situations where fear and apparent exhaustion end in chaos and suffering.
Advocates further allege that some operators flaunt rules intended to protect both animals and people—pushing horses in intense heat, navigating congested lanes, and leaving animals to toil amid constant horns, sirens, and crowds. Even with existing temperature and work limits, recent episodes have reportedly continued, suggesting that enforcement alone cannot fix a system that apparently places large, easily startled animals inches from bikes, strollers, and pedestrians.
A modern city should not rely on a 19th-century practice that, as reported, repeatedly risks animal welfare and public safety. Sign below to demand the City Council pass legislation to end horse-drawn carriage rides, create a humane job transition (such as licensed electric carriages), and direct immediate, unannounced inspections with maximum allowable penalties—including license suspensions and revocations—for any operators allegedly violating animal-care or safety laws.
PETITION LETTER:
Speaker Adams,
Recent accounts detail deeply troubling events involving carriage horses—one reportedly collapsed and died near a stable, while others allegedly bolted and crashed into pedicabs, injuring a driver. Additional reports indicate horses have run loose through busy park drives, underscoring the inherent risk of forcing prey animals to operate in dense, unpredictable urban environments.
We respectfully urge the Council to move legislation that permanently bans horse-drawn carriages and replaces them with humane, modern alternatives that keep workers employed without compelling animals to endure reportedly hazardous and exhausting conditions. In the interim, we ask you to champion immediate measures: direct unannounced, frequent inspections; mandate public reporting of heat-index closures and veterinary checks; and require strict enforcement by the licensing authorities, with maximum fines, suspensions, and revocations for any operator allegedly overworking, neglecting, or otherwise mistreating horses, or reportedly endangering the public.
New York can lead with compassion and common sense. Please act now to end a practice that, as reported, places animals and people at unacceptable risk, and to ensure meaningful accountability wherever violations are alleged.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo credit: Shadow Ayush
