Onlookers were shocked to witness a weary carriage horse collapse on the street in the intense heat on Wednesday. It occurred at rush hour in New York City around 9th Avenue and West 45th Street.
Ryder, the weary horse, was visibly in need of assistance or hydration and was resting on the pavement, yet his driver shouted at him and hit him constantly.
The video footage of the tragic occurrence has gone viral, causing anxiety among animal rights groups and others.
HORSE COLLAPSES: A horse pulling a carriage along a street in Midtown Manhattan collapsed in the middle of the road Wednesday, and a witness caught the incident on cell phone video. The horse, named Ryder, stayed resting on the hot pavement for some time, but eventually got back up on its own. Police took the horse back to the stable, where Ryder was reportedly diagnosed by a veterinarian with a neurological infection caused by possum droppings, according to the union that represents horse carriage drivers. Horses are not allowed out on especially hot and humid days, but a representative for the carriage drivers' union said Wednesday was safe and Ryder was not overheated or dehydrated. Advocates have called for horse and carriage rides to be banned in the city. The city council is considering that legislation now. For more of today’s top stories, go to nbcpalmsprings.com.
Posted by NBC Palm Springs on Thursday, 11 August 2022
As witnesses recorded the spectacle, the driver continued to order the horse to stand. However, bystanders retaliated. “What if I hit you like that, bro?” one individual wondered.
When police came, they started dousing the fatigued animal with water. The New York Police Department ultimately transferred the animal for help.
However, the entire episode shocked many who observed it. “I witnessed the horse fall,” Uber Eats driver Kelvin Gonzalez claimed. “He was plainly emaciated, dehydrated, and hungry. Rather than offering him water, the man began flogging his horse and ordered him to get back up.
Kelvin urged him to stop flogging him, give him some water. That is not a machine; it is a horse.
He further stated that the horse tried to stand on his own but began to fall. That is, until officers administered “adrenaline up his buttocks” to help him get back on his feet.
PETA, animal advocates to rally after viral video of horse collapse in MidtownHORSE COLLAPSES IN NYC: Animal advocates, including PETA, are rallying today in Manhattan after video went viral of a horse collapsing in Midtown. (Courtesy: NYClass) – https://bit.ly/3PjtaH3
Posted by News 12 The Bronx on Thursday, 11 August 2022
