False CLAIMS
*Photo by NYCLASS
The TWU has repeatedly framed opposition to horse-drawn carriages as an attack on workers, tradition, or outside interests, while downplaying the documented harm to horses. In reality, the industry exposes both horses and drivers to serious risks, and many of its defenses rely on misdirection, selective narratives, and misleading claims.
The following section addresses the TWU’s key talking points, providing evidence-based truths that reveal the systemic cruelty, health risks, and ethical failures in the carriage industry and explain why Ryder’s Law is a responsible, practical solution that protects both horses and workers.
TWU Local 100 CLAIMS
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Talking Point: TWU President John Samuelsen claims they are protecting 170 carriage driver jobs, mostly immigrant workers, from reform that would devastate livelihoods.
Truth: TWU's "worker protection" rings hollow when they defend an industry that exposes drivers to traffic accidents, extreme weather, and reputational harm from animal cruelty incidents. Carriage drivers currently receive no dependable salary, have no benefits and no worker protections. Ryder’s Law protects workers by providing job transition programs for better paying jobs with benefits and worker protections for carriage drivers.
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Talking Point: TWU President John Samuelsen claims that animal advocacy groups pushing for Ryder’s Law are backed by real estate investors and motivated by a real estate “grab,” not concern for horses.
Truth: This is a transparent distraction. There are three carriage stables in NYC, all privately owned by industry members:
Clinton Park Stables (618 W 52nd St): owned by carriage owner co-op
Shamrock Stables (522 W 45th St): leased from the city
Westside Livery (538 W 38th St): family-owned for nearly 50 years
No animal advocacy organization has ownership, financial interest, or redevelopment plans for any of these sites. Ryder's Law supporters include veterinarians, equine professionals, and animal-welfare experts, none of whom profit from real estate. The "real estate" narrative is designed to distract from documented cruelty, collapse, and corruption.
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Talking Point: TWU President John Samuelsen claims animal advocates unfairly target carriage horses while ignoring abuses in industries like horse racing at Aqueduct,implying hypocrisy or profit-driven motives.
Truth: This “whataboutism” is a deflection meant to stall progress. Advocates are working across all equine industries, from racing to rodeo to breeding. By the TWU’s logic, no animal protection law could ever pass unless every abuse everywhere were solved first.
Racing Industry Reform Is Already Underway:
Over 5,000 racehorse deaths were documented from 2016–2020 (about 18 per week).
PETA’s investigations exposed widespread medication abuse (steroids, corticosteroids, Lasix), prompting bans and stricter state regulations.
The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA), passed in 2020, established national anti-doping and safety standards.
Ongoing campaigns continue to improve welfare, and many groups also operate racehorse retirement and rehoming programs.
Why Carriage Horses Deserve Immediate Legislative Action:
Local authority: NYC can act through city law; racing reform requires state and federal coordination.
Urban cruelty: Carriage horses face heat, traffic, exhaust, and asphalt stress daily.
Alternatives exist: Electric carriages protect both jobs and tourism.
Public visibility: Collapses and injuries happen on city streets, creating moral and political urgency.
The TWU’s argument is dishonest. If they truly cared about horses at Aqueduct, they’d support reforms there, too, but they don’t. This isn't a concern for other horses; it’s a distraction from the suffering in their own industry. Ryder’s Law addresses cruelty that’s visible, proven, and solvable now. Ending suffering where we can isn’t selective, it’s responsible. -
Talking Point: The TWU President John Samuelsen claims Frederick Law Olmsted designed Central Park in the 1850s for leisurely horse-carriage rides and that this tradition should be preserved today.
Truth: This misrepresents Olmsted’s vision. He designed Central Park as a “democratic” escape from the industrial city, a place for all New Yorkers to find peace and restore their spirits. His plan included bridle paths for recreational horseback riding, not commercial carriage operations.
In 1858, carriage rides were on soft dirt roads, in quiet surroundings, and horses returned to pasture each night. In 2025, the same routes are surrounded by traffic, construction noise, sirens, asphalt heat, and stabled horses in industrial buildings, conditions Olmsted never intended.
Retiring carriage horses and adopting electric alternatives honors Olmsted’s principles far more than forcing horses to work in chaos. Tradition does not justify cruelty; preserving the park’s spirit means protecting both its beauty and the wellbeing of living creatures.
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Talking Point: The TWU President John Samuelsen claims horses are healthy and deaths are due to natural illness, not carriage work.
Truth: Below are three case studies that expose a pattern:
Ryder (2022): Falsely listed as 13 years old, actually around 26. Collapsed in Midtown and later passed away. His owner was charged with animal cruelty after footage showed him flogging Ryder as he lay on the pavement. Under city law, no horse over 26 years of age may be licensed to work in the carriage industry. Ryder’s falsified paperwork allowed him to remain on the hack line illegally, despite visible signs of emaciation and illness. The discrepancy between his reported and actual age underscores a systemic lack of independent oversight in the industry and raises serious questions about how many other horses are being misrepresented to avoid mandatory retirement.
Aysha (2020): Aysha collapsed in Central Park and later died from Polysaccharide Storage Myopathy (PSSM), a painful genetic muscle disorder that affects a horse’s ability to properly store and use energy. The symptoms of PSSM, muscle stiffness, trembling, and reluctance to move are well-documented warning signs of distress, which she was showing. According to reports, her driver stated that “she just didn’t want to work that day.” In reality, Aysha was showing classic signs of illness and was in no condition to pull a carriage. That statement was an admission that he recognized she was “off” yet forced her to work anyway, an act of neglect that contributed to her death.
Lady (2024): Lady died from an aortic rupture, a catastrophic internal hemorrhage that is rare in healthy horses, especially those as young as 11. Just weeks before her death, she had been declared “healthy” by industry veterinarian Dr. Gabriel Cook, who serves as a consultant for the carriage trade. Lady had been working in the industry for only two months before collapsing. The assertion that this could happen to “any horse,” as Dr. Cook claimed, minimizes the clear pattern of preventable deaths within the industry and undermines public confidence in its oversight.
The "Cleared as Healthy" Problem:
Industry vets are paid by carriage operators, creating conflicts of interest
No independent oversight exists
Horses collapse despite being "cleared"
Regulations are not followed and there is little to no consequences
The industry’s “just sick” defense is, in itself, an admission of neglect. Sick horses should not be working, period. In every documented case, these horses were either worked while visibly ill, made ill by the harsh conditions of city life, including heat, confinement, pavement, and pollution or suffered fatal events triggered by overwork and stress. Urban carriage work dramatically increases the risk of cardiovascular collapse, respiratory disease, lameness, gastric ulcers, and heat stress, all medically recognized and entirely preventable. These deaths are not isolated tragedies; they are the predictable outcomes of a system that prioritizes profit over welfare.
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Talking Point: The TWU President John Samuelsen claims animal-rights advocates are pushing electric carriages to profit from new vehicles, framing modernization as a financial scheme rather than welfare-driven reform.
Truth: There is no public evidence for this claim. Major animal-welfare organizations have no commercial stake in manufacturing or selling electric carriages. Ryder’s Law is a welfare initiative aimed at phasing out horse-drawn carriages. After Ryder collapsed and falsified vet records were revealed, nothing changed, horses still live in small, poorly ventilated stalls with minimal natural light, spending long days on city streets. The electric-carriage transition offers a humane alternative that preserves tourism, protects jobs, and prioritizes animal welfare.
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Talking Point: The TWU President John Samuelsen portrays animal advocates as “outsiders” with ulterior motives suggesting that reform efforts are driven by politics, profit, or outside influence rather than genuine concern for horses.
Truth: This is false. The movement to end horse-drawn carriages is led by New Yorkers, licensed equine veterinarians, and experienced horse rescue professionals. The carriage industry itself has a documented history of cruelty, falsified records, and repeated welfare violations.
Who’s Leading the Movement:
NYC residents who voted 78% in favor of ending carriage rides
NYCLASS and Voters for Animal Rights, along with the ASPCA, Humane World for Animals, the Animal Legal Defense Fund, and other leading animal protection groups.
Rescue and sanctuary operators providing lifetime care for retired carriage horses
ASPCA, Humane World for Animals, Animal Legal Defense Fund, and many other animal protection organizations.
The “outsider” claim is a deliberate distraction designed to discredit expert voices. Ryder’s Law is about horse welfare, not politics or profit.
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Talking Point: The TWU argues that New York City’s carriage horses are well-adjusted to their environment, relaxed around traffic, and show no physiological signs of distress - proof that the animals “love their jobs” and “enjoy working.”
Truth: This narrative hinges on a 2015 study funded by the carriage industry that examined only 13 horses, a sample far too small to produce valid conclusions. The researchers released no raw data or methodology for peer review, making the study scientifically unreliable and impossible to verify.
Despite these flaws, the study was widely promoted in outlets like Gothamist under headlines such as “Carriage Horses ‘Totally Angst-Free,’ Says Study Paid for by Carriage Horse Industry.” The media attention gave an air of legitimacy to a study that would never withstand academic scrutiny.
Even TWU President John Samuelson contradicted the industry’s own “stress-free” claim in a televised interview, when he blamed a recent Central Park incident on a city owned truck that spooked a horse by getting inappropriately close to the carriage. If these horses were truly “well adjusted” to city life, such incidents would not occur.
Veterinary professionals have since dismissed the findings as biased and misleading. Cortisol, the hormone used to measure “stress” in the study, is not a reliable standalone indicator of animal welfare.
As veterinarian Dr. Holly Cheever explains:
“Measuring cortisol levels as an indicator of stress levels is not always a reliable indicator. For example, pregnant sows suffering in the hell of gestation crates exhibit the stereotypic behaviors that exemplify psychosis, but tend to have normal cortisol levels, allowing the pork production industry to claim that gestation crates are a humane housing system. The question for the New York carriage horse industry is not whether the horses’ lives are survivable, but rather whether they are humane.”
Welfare is not defined by an animal’s ability to endure an environment, it’s defined by whether that environment supports natural behaviors, comfort, and mental well-being.
By every measure of modern equine science, the New York City carriage trade fails that test.
The Fox is Watching
the Hen HousE
The vets who have endorsed the carriage horse industry have a built-in conflict of interest. They are paid by the same people who make money from keeping horses on the streets. This isn’t real oversight, it’s the system watching itself like the fox watching the hen house. Unlike public charities or rescues, these private vets don’t have to share how they’re paid or if they have any conflicts. That means the public has no way to know if their opinions are unbiased.
Two vets show exactly why this is a problem. Dr. Camilo Sierra, a former racetrack vet, has a long record of violations and suspensions for drugging horses and faking medical records. Yet he still works for the carriage trade. Dr. Gabriel Cook was hired to make the industry look better after Ryder collapsed and his owner allegedly provided falsified vet records, but the horses’ lives haven’t changed: they are still confined in small stalls with poor ventilation and minimal access to natural light, spending long days pulling carriages through traffic. These veterinarians continue to clear horses housed in unsafe, inhumane multi-story “stables.” Facilities that have no place in the modern world and would never meet welfare standards anywhere else.
Both men are paid by the industry. Neither is required to share their contracts or answer to the public. That’s why we don’t want more self-policing, more committees, or more “reform.” We want it to end. The carriage horse system is outdated and cruel, and no amount of new veterinarians or safety promises can make it humane. The only real solution is to get the horses off the streets for good and give them the peace and safety they’ve always deserved.
Truth vs. Talking Points: What the Carriage Industry Doesn’t Want You to Know
Rebuttal to statements made by Dr. Gabriel Cook, DVM, DACVS (TWU Local 100 Consultant)
CLAIMS BY DR. COOK / TWU LOCAL 100
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FACTS FROM INDEPENDENT EQUINE WELFARE EXPERTS
“Care” ≠ “welfare.” Feeding and grooming do not replace the fundamental needs of horses: movement, herd companionship, and natural light. NYC carriage horses live in multi-story concrete stables with no turnout or daylight. These are conditions of confinement, not compassion.
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FACTS FROM INDEPENDENT EQUINE WELFARE EXPERTS
Bi-weekly, pre-scheduled check-ins arranged by the industry are not independent oversight. There are no surprise inspections, and no third-party verification. This is self-policing under a PR banner.
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FACTS FROM INDEPENDENT EQUINE WELFARE EXPERTS
Ryder’s falsified records prove that existing oversight failed. He was over the legal working age and dying when he collapsed on 9th Avenue. True welfare is prevention, not paperwork after tragedy.
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FACTS FROM INDEPENDENT EQUINE WELFARE EXPERTS
Internal committees made up of paid drivers cannot be objective watchdogs. Real accountability requires independent equine behaviorists and veterinarians without financial ties to the industry.
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FACTS FROM INDEPENDENT EQUINE WELFARE EXPERTS
Individual good intentions cannot fix a cruel system. Even kind handlers are forced to work horses in chaotic traffic and extreme weather. The model itself is incompatible with humane treatment.
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FACTS FROM INDEPENDENT EQUINE WELFARE EXPERTS
Frequent colic, lameness, and collapse are signs of chronic stress, not acceptable side-effects. Treating preventable injuries after the fact is not animal welfare—it’s crisis management.
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FACTS FROM INDEPENDENT EQUINE WELFARE EXPERTS
NYC’s 6 × 10 ft stall minimum fails modern welfare science. Penn State Extension recommends 12 × 12 ft for average-sized horses. There is still no requirement for turnout, fresh air, or herd interaction—basic equine needs everywhere else.
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FACTS FROM INDEPENDENT EQUINE WELFARE EXPERTS
DOH oversight is minimal and reactive. The same small circle of industry-aligned vets—including Dr. Cook and Dr. Camilo Sierra—are used repeatedly. Sierra, a former racetrack vet, has a record of drug violations and falsified documents. This is not independent review.
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The stables remain dark, cramped, and air-poor. Horses still climb steep ramps to upper floors and stand on concrete for 20+ hours daily. The only “reform” is a change in messaging after Ryder’s collapse.
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FACTS FROM INDEPENDENT EQUINE WELFARE EXPERTS
As a private business, the carriage industry operates with limited transparency. By contrast, many of our coalition partners are public charities required by law to disclose finances and governance. Until the same transparency applies, claims of accountability are meaningless.
“Racehorses, with long periods of confinement and isolation, exhibit an unusually high prevalence of stereotypies. The suffering can be described by referencing the suffering of people in solitary confinement. A recently released man who had spent years in solitary said he felt anxiety, paranoia, panic, hallucinations, etc. The only way he could help suppress the dysphoria was to walk back and forth in his cell until the line he walked was soaked in his sweat.”
— Dr. Nicholas Dodman, BVMS, DACVB, Founding Director, Center for Canine Behavior Studies
Carriage horses live under identical conditions of confinement and deprivation—isolated, stalled, and denied social or environmental enrichment. No amount of veterinary visits can erase the psychological and physical harm of this environment.