Carriage Horses Stables Closed Wednesday for Mourning — Owner/Caretaker Saw No Signs of Illness

JUNE 10, 2026—The owner and caretaker of Deniz, a Central Park Carriage Horse that suddenly passed last night, is devastated. 

“I really feel like I lost someone in the family,” said Nurettin Kirbiyik. “He was a beautiful horse. The best. Very friendly with kids. Everyone loved him and wanted to take pictures with him.”

Deniz, part draft horse, was brown with large patches of white. One of just a few with such coloring in the city, he drew attention and enjoyed it.

Kirbiyik said he spent part of nearly every day with Deniz since purchasing the horse about 10 years ago, grooming him, showering and shampooing him, checking on his condition even on days the horse wasn’t working. There were no signs Tuesday that he was ill, Kirbiyik said. He was eating and drinking, acting normally.

“I’m in shock,” he said. The carriage horse stables are closed today in honor of Deniz's passing.

We are all in mourning,” TWU Local 100 Shop Steward Christina Hansen said. Deniz was last seen by the NYPD Mounted Unit’s veterinarian in March and found to be fit. Sadly, horses, just like other domesticated animals, have catastrophic and sudden health incidents.

Following our protocol, Deniz is being transported to the pathology department of Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine for a full necropsy to determine what transpired.