We wrote a few months ago about a ban on horse-drawn carriages that, in the wake of the death of an 18 year-old passenger this last June, New York City’s legislature appeared to be destined to enact. Yesterday, the legislature (called the New York City Council) voted overwhelmingly to ban the carriages, starting in June 2028. The idea between now and June 2028 is to figure out how to address the unemployed drivers and horses.

This past June, an 18 year-old was killed in Central Park after a horse bolted from a horse-drawn carriage, and that very likely is the final straw for the horses. For those not too keyed into NYC politics, the “New York City Council” is analogous to NYC’s congress—it has 51 elected members who dream up and vote on legislation (you live in a district which includes the West Village, Chelsea, and Hell’s Kitchen, and your councilmember is Carl Wilson). For a city law to pass, a majority of the 51-member council has to vote for it, and as of a very contentious hearing last week, more than 26 councilmembers support a horse ban. A vote is on the horizon and while Mamdani has veto power, he also supports the ban. So in short (i) the horses, (ii) are likely, (iii) out.