On Wednesday, a carriage horse collapsed to the ground in Manhattan, New York, and shocked onlookers watched in disbelief as the driver hit the horse in an effort to get him to stand. The heartbreaking incident took place on 9th Avenue and West 45th Street in Hell’s Kitchen on a day when the outside temperature climbed into the upper 80s.
As reported by the New York Post, concerned bystanders lashed out at the driver as he tried to get the seemingly exhausted horse to stand. Kelvin Gonzalez, who witnessed the ordeal, recounted to The Post what he told the driver:
“I told him, ‘Yo, stop whipping him, give him some water. That’s a horse, not a machine.’
Witnesses said that the horse appeared to be disoriented and overheated. Police officers arrived and tried to assist the downed horse, offering water and trying to keep him cool on the pavement.
Finally, after multiple attempts to get the horse on his feet, and a shot of adrenaline, the horse was standing, and the onlookers cheered.
As reported by The Post, the horse, named Ryder, was examined by a veterinarian after the frightening episode. Tony Utano, President of Transport Workers Union Local 100 said that the veterinarian believes that Ryder may be suffering from a neurological disorder caused by possum droppings. Utano criticized those who “rushed to judgment” about the horse being exhausted.
Carriage rides remain both a popular tourist attraction and a topic of controversy. Animal rights activists, and many animal lovers, have been outspoken about horse-drawn carriage rides and the toll that it takes on horses. For years, there have been calls to bring these rides to an end.
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TO THE EVIL LUNATIC DRIVER: FIRST. KARMA–NEXT, HELL! THIS HELL FOR HORSES MUST END!
You can see every rib and hip bones and back bone on this horse. Can’t anyone see this horse has been nearly starved to death! And what happened to the law that they cannot work these poor horses in the heat! I am so ticked off at Bill DeBlasio because he promised to end horse carriage rides, he lied! Police had to hose the poor horse down because it had heat exhaustion!
[…] Prior article about Ryder’s collapse in Manhattan at this link. […]