From The New Yorker · Michael Schulman · · 2m
Year of the Horse
Romanch's death sparks New York's carriage ban debate.
In brief
Romanch's death sparks New York's carriage ban debate. New York City's carriage ban, Romanch's Law, faces a vote this month to phase out horse-drawn carriages by 2028 after a teenager's death. Originally reported by The New Yorker.
Romanch's death
Romanch Mahajan, an eighteen-year-old from Pathankot, India, died after a horse-drawn carriage accident in Central Park.
“We lost a gem”
Carriage industry crisis
The carriage industry faced multiple accidents, including a horse named Ryder collapsing in 2022 and Lady dying of an aortic rupture in 2025.
“Ryder was sent to a farm upstate, where, after a seizure, he was euthanized”
Romanch's Law
Romanch's Law, a proposed ban on carriage horses, is headed for a vote this month to phase out carriages by June 2028.
“The revived ban, now called Romanch's Law, is headed for a vote this month”
Industry support
The law has twenty-nine co-sponsors and the support of Council speaker Julie Menin and Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
“The Council’s speaker, Julie Menin; Mayor Zohran Mamdani is likely to sign it”
Legal action
The Mahajan family is suing the city for one hundred and five million dollars over the accident.
“The Mahajans are suing the city for a hundred and five million dollars”
Horses as workers
Carriage horses are workers in Central Park, sharing the space with wildlife and urban elements like owls and squirrels.
“Carriage horses share Central Park with owls, blue jays, red-tailed hawks, mallards, red-eared sliders, chipmunks, Virginia opossums, raccoons”
Hansen's advocacy
Christina Hansen, a carriage driver, is the industry's most vocal champion, arguing for horses' role in civilization.
“Horses have been with us for six thousand years”
Birnkrant's opposition
Edita Birnkrant, head of NYCLASS, sees carriage horses as a hazard and advocates for their removal.
“It’s like the Greek Cassandra myth”
Historical context
Horses have been part of New York City since Dutch settlers brought them in 1625, with carriage use dating back to 1692.
“Dutch settlers brought horses to New Amsterdam on ships in 1625”
Political battles
The carriage issue has influenced mayoral elections, with NYCLASS funding campaigns and causing political gridlock.
“Political gridlock has made it impossible to move forward”
Hansen's background
Christina Hansen grew up in Lexington, Kentucky, and learned to ride in grad school at U.N.C.-Chapel Hill.
“I didn’t grow up having horses, but I grew up loving horses”
Birnkrant's background
Edita Birnkrant grew up in Queens, the child of a single mother, and became an animal rights advocate.
“I grew up in Queens, the child of a single mother”
Hansen's strategy
Hansen infiltrated NYCLASS meetings to gather evidence against animal cruelty claims.
“She got her first glimpse of Steve Nislick, a parking-garage mogul who is the key backer of NYCLASS”
Nislick's role
Steve Nislick, a real estate tycoon, founded NYCLASS and targeted Council speaker Christine Quinn in 2007.
“Steve Nislick, then the chief executive of the real-estate firm Edison Properties”
Bilici's perspective
Ahmet Bilici, a Turkish carriage driver, fears losing his life savings and generational wealth if the ban passes.
“The city, they give us license”
Current status
Romanch's Law faces a vote this month, with the city's carriage industry at a crossroads.
“Romanch's Law is headed for a vote this month”
The bottom line
New York City's carriage ban, Romanch's Law, faces a vote this month to phase out horse-drawn carriages by 2028 after a teenager's death.
