In what can only be described as a retirement upgrade that most freelancers would envy, New York City’s carriage horses are now entitled to a surprisingly dignified exit from service, thanks to a new law passed by the City Council that mandates retirement at the age of 26. It’s not quite a gold watch and a condo in Florida, but in the world of equine labor rights, it’s a gallop in the right direction.
The legislation, which breezed its way through the Council with an impressive 47-to-2 vote, essentially says that when a horse hits 26, it’s time to trade in the bustling streets of Midtown for greener pastures, quite literally. This comes as an amendment to a 2019 requirement that tried to ensure horses were retired to appropriate environments but otherwise allowed them to trot the pavement into their twilight years. Apparently, New Yorkers have decided that even carriage horses deserve to know what it feels like to sleep in.
“It is offensive that we needed a law just to make sure horses are appropriately retired, but here we are,” stated Councilmember Robert Holden, who sponsored the bill. Holden has clearly spent some time thinking about horses because he went on to explain that adequate rest after decades of service is the least we can offer our four-legged chauffeurs. All very noble, though the horses themselves declined to comment.
One such horse, Tyson, aged 26 and described by his current owner as “still in good condition,” is now legally required to stop working. His handler was quoted as saying they had planned to stop using him anyway, effectively making the legislation a ceremonial kicking-in of an already open stable door.
But not everyone is neighing in agreement. Christina Hansen, a spokesperson and working carriage driver, raised eyebrows at the law’s specificity. She wondered aloud why 26 had been chosen as the magical retirement age, noting pointedly that horses, much like politicians, vary in vitality. Hansen expressed concern that blanketing horses with a mandatory retirement age disregards their individual health and economic impact on owners. A good point, though whether the average Manhattan horse prefers a paycheck or a pasture remains undetermined.
Still, the bill is one in a series of City Hall’s regularly scheduled attempts to regulate the city’s roughly 200 licensed carriage horses, a fixture in Central Park that exists somewhere between a romantic novelty and a municipal Rorschach test.
And while some envision a horse-free future entirely, with proponents lobbying for electric carriages, the current bill stops short of revolution and settles for reform. For now, horses over 26 can no longer pound the streets, although presumably they are welcome to amble through retirement communities for horses, wherever those may be located.
So while NYC’s carriage horses prepare to hang up their harnesses and enter their golden years, one thing is certain: it may not be the Hamptons, but at least it’s not Times Square.
Looks like horses are finally getting the senior discount they deserve.