A message from President & Founder Susan Wagner:
Dear Friends,
I vividly remember the events of this day 16 years ago, as if it were yesterday. At around 3:00 PM on June 25, 2010, I received a frantic phone call from my good friend and colleague Elizabeth Forel of the Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages. She said time was of the essence and that we had to move quickly to rescue a former New York City carriage horse who was languishing in a kill pen at the large New Holland slaughter auction in Pennsylvania. This was a very unusual situation, since he was available for purchase through a special “broker-owned horse program,” which gave us the unique opportunity to save this horse from being shipped to die in a Canadian slaughterhouse. But we had to move fast because the purchase had to be made by 5:00 PM.
Forel and Friends of Animals donated emergency funds to help me expedite the mission, and I was able to purchase the horse quickly and successfully over the phone before the deadline. I arranged for a hauler to pick him up and deliver him to the equine hospital in Rhinebeck, New York, where my sister, Karen, and I anxiously awaited his arrival. Finally, at around 8:00 PM, the trailer pulled in, and off walked this adorable bay gelding with large expressive eyes. He had mud all over his feet, which hid the identifying 4-digit hoof number that had been carved into his front left hoof. This is the way all NYC carriage horses are licensed with the NYC Department of Health. However, as soon as his feet were washed off, there was his hoof number, “2873.” Mission accomplished! A New York City carriage horse was rescued from slaughter.
The rest is history. Bobby’s moving and inspiring story went viral as he became an ambassador for ending the urban carriage horse trade in New York City, as well as in other busy urban centers around the country. His rescue had a real impact on New Yorkers. After years of carriage horse operators and drivers denying that their horses went to slaughter, Bobby proved that this was not true. We also expressed our belief that they laundered many of their old, injured, and used-up horses through the Amish and others, so they could try to claim they were not responsible for their horses ending up in kill pens.
When interviewed by the New York Times, one of the two carriage horse operators who used Bobby for “six or seven years” and then scrapped him for slaughter was asked by the reporter as to why. That operator said, “I didn’t want to put it in service anymore. It was old.” Finally, the truth was out thanks to Bobby, the “it” boy, who lived to tell the tale. Through his story, the public became aware that former NYC carriage horses were sent to slaughter.
Noticed his scars from his years as a carriage horse. Photo by Jim Craner.
We had learned from official documents that Bobby’s birth year was 1990. Because we did not know his exact birth day, we celebrated June 25th as the date of Bobby’s Re-Birth-Day, meaning the day he was rescued and started his new life here at the sanctuary. Every year on that day, we would throw a well-attended birthday party for Bobby, who held court and seemed to love the adoration and being the center of attention.
Bobby was with us for 12 precious years. He passed away on June 14, 2022, at the ripe old age of 32. However, I believe, had he not succumbed to the very serious degenerative soundness issues and injuries he suffered from his years of pounding the pavement on NYC streets, he might have lived even longer. He had a tremendous will to live. Although his body gave out, his spirit never did. I miss him every day.
It seems fitting at this time to also mention Ryder, the former NYC carriage horse who collapsed on the street in Manhattan less than a month after Bobby died. Ryder took over the role of ambassador, but sadly, he did not survive for very long. The horse was very old and very sick. I wondered what kind of veterinarian or knowledgeable horse person could have ever allowed a horse in that condition to do anything physical, much less pull a carriage in NYC. Ryder died two months later, but his story did not end there. Legislation named in his honor was later introduced to ban horse-drawn carriages in NYC, and Ryder’s Law was reintroduced this year. Sadly, the decades of endless tragedies of NYC carriage horses spooking in traffic, collapsing, or dying were not sufficient enough warnings to convince NYC officials to finally ban horse-drawn carriages. Nor were the human injuries that occurred over the years due to this cruel and dangerous business.
On June 17th, an 18-year-old teenager from India named Romanch Mahajan died when he was thrown from a horse-drawn carriage after the horse spooked and took off in Central Park. He was vacationing in NYC with his family, who were also in the carriage with him. This terrible tragedy should never have happened. Now, it’s up to New Yorkers to make sure this never happens again. We urge the 70 percent of NYC residents who say they oppose horse-drawn carriages in the city to become proactive and use their collective power as voters to call for a permanent ban once and for all. “Ryder’s Law” has been renamed “Romanch’s Law” in honor of the young man who died.
On this day, when we remember Bobby, it’s now more important and urgent than ever that the Mamdani Administration and the NYC Council accomplish what their predecessors have failed to do. I quote the great Brooklyn-based film director Spike Lee with this plea: “Do the Right Thing!”
Sincerely,
Susan Wagner, President
What You Can Do to Help NYC Carriage Horses
The New York City Council hearing on Romanch’s Law, which would ban horse-drawn carriages in New York City, is officially scheduled for July 15, 2026.
If you live in NYC and/or have family and friends who do, please contact and urge these officials to support passing the ban:
If you live in or near NYC, please attend the hearing! Show your support for Romanch’s Law so those who live in, work in, or visit the city are protected, as well as the horses who don’t belong in crowded urban centers. This law addresses two vitally important issues facing New Yorkers: Public Safety and Animal Cruelty.