# Year of the Horse > Romanch's death sparks New York's carriage ban debate. - Title: Year of the Horse · The New Yorker | Shortify - Summary: 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… - Keywords: romanch mahajan, central park, carriage horses, romanch's law, nyclass, christina hansen, zohran mamdani, julie menin, central park conservancy, horses, carriage drivers, mayor - Source: The New Yorker — https://newyorker.com/magazine/2026/10/12/year-of-the-horse - Author: Michael Schulman - Published: 2026-10-05T10:00:00+00:00 - Read time: 2 min - Topics: romanch mahajan, central park, carriage horses, romanch's law, nyclass, christina hansen, zohran mamdani, julie menin, central park conservancy, horses, carriage drivers, mayor ## 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 ## Key takeaway 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.