Horse-drawn carriages in East Sacramento's Fabulous 40s are popular enough to sell out and old enough that the operator traces them to 1970. They are also, as of a report out today, something Sacramento will consider banning.
That is the news CBS News Sacramento's Marlee Ginter reported: the city will consider banning the popular rides in the Fab 40s.
Sold Out on the Same Streets
The push from the neighborhood is not new to local coverage. Yahoo News reported that a number of East Sacramento residents would like to see the carriage rides come to an end. KCRA tied the opposition to traffic congestion and animal safety, including one resident's view that the rides should not come at the expense of an animal's health and safety.
The business on the other side of that argument is Top Hand Ranch, run by Rick and Diane Newborn. Rick Newborn told KCRA he has offered rides since 1970, when he started the business with his father. At the time of that report he said the ranch was sending five wagons out each night. The rides had sold out in September and were scheduled to begin on a Friday night.
The congestion had a calendar. Yahoo News reported that, starting the weekend discussed in that coverage, thousands of people were expected in the Fabulous 40s for the annual holiday light show. Holiday cheer and a horse-and-wagon queue were headed for the same blocks.
Those wagon counts and that Friday-night start belong to the earlier report. They are not a current operating snapshot as of today's ban headline.
Rules for Horse-Drawn Vehicles
Sacramento's municipal code regulates horse-drawn vehicles.
CBS News Sacramento reported a 100-degree heat restriction for the rides.
The city code also has a section on horse-drawn vehicle driver permits.
The heat restriction is one part of the rules governing horse-drawn rides.
Old Sacramento has had its own, separate fight. FOX40 reported that a working-animal advocate group sought to ban carriage rides there, arguing the horses could not tolerate inclement weather or traffic. That dispute is not evidence about whatever Sacramento may consider in the Fab 40s.
Elsewhere, the Bans Came With End Dates
Other cities have already voted, and the votes came with calendars. San Antonio's City Council approved a phaseout on Dec. 12, 2024, with horse-drawn carriages scheduled to stop operating on Jan. 1, 2030, Texas Public Radio reported. A motion to stretch the wind-down from three years to five passed 6-5. The final measure passed 10-0, with District 8 Councilmember Manny Peláez abstaining.
New York City Council went further, and more recently. On Oct. 22, the council passed a bill to ban horse-drawn carriage rides by June 2028, 40-7, a veto-proof margin, The New York Times reported. A 2025 proposal aimed at Central Park carriages had failed to advance after the council's Committee on Health voted against sending it to the full council, CNN reported at the time. The 2026 bill got through.
The New York legislation also tries to deal with the people, and leaves the horses less settled. CNN reported that the mayor's office must develop a transition plan by the following April for more than 150 remaining drivers and the rest of the industry, covering job referrals, career counseling and educational opportunities, and it may include compensation. The Times described the bill as affecting roughly 200 owners, drivers and stablehands, and said the fate of 180 carriage horses was still unresolved in its report.
Sacramento's news today is narrower: a popular Fab 40s ride the city will consider banning, run by an operator who dates the business to 1970. Consideration is not the last ride.
