A horse suddenly collapsed and died in Central Park on Tuesday, sparking fresh calls for a ban on horse carriages in New York City. Police said they responded to 72nd Street near Central Park West and confirmed that the horse had died at the scene. The union TWU Local 100, which represents carriage horse drivers, said the death was a sudden and catastrophic medical emergency.
The horse was named Deniz, and his owner and caretaker, Nurettin Kirbiyik, shared his grief through the union, saying he felt like he had lost a family member and called Deniz “a beautiful horse… very friendly with kids,” as stated by CBS. Kirbiyik also said there were no signs the horse was sick and that Deniz had been eating and drinking normally before the incident.
Horse health check
The union added that Deniz was examined in March by the NYPD Mounted Unit veterinarian and was found to be fit for work. A necropsy (animal autopsy) will now be done by Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine to find the exact cause of death. Kirbiyik said he was “in shock” after the sudden loss.
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Carriage horse stables were closed on Wednesday, and workers said they were in mourning, including shop steward Christina Hansen, CBS reports. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said he supports removing horse carriages from Central Park, saying many people were disturbed by what happened and adding that the practice should not exist in the city.
Push for carriage ban
Animal welfare group NYCLASS is holding a rally at City Hall to bring back Ryder’s Law, which would ban horse carriages in the city, after a similar effort failed in November, as reported by CBS. The Central Park Conservancy also supports the ban, saying horse carriages are a public safety risk in a crowded park, and pointing to seven horse-related incidents in the last 13 months, including a recent case where a carriage overturned after a horse got scared.
