New York City carriage horse euthanized months after viral collapse video

Ryder, the New York City carriage horse that collapsed in the streets in August, died last week (Picture: Twitter/Facebook/@PETA/@FriendsOfMapleHillFarms)

A former New York City carriage horse who was seen collapsing on the street has died, only two months after he retired to a farm upstate.

Onlookers were horrified when Ryder, a carriage horse on driving back to the stables in Hells Kitchen, collapsed near the intersection of West 45th Street and 9th Avenue.

His driver, Ian McKeever, began ‘flogging’ the horse as it lay exhausted, according to witnesses.

A veterinarian who saw Ryder immediately after his collapse said he probably suffered from equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM), a neurological disorder caused by a parasite.

However, it has since become much less clear what Ryder was suffering from when he collapsed in August.

After footage of the collapse went viral, more witnesses came forward with photos and videos of Ryder working in the park that day. One witness photographed the emaciated horse and said McKeever was yelling and cursing at the exhausted animal hours before the incident, according to the New York Daily News.

Later, one of Ryder’s owners, Colm McKeever (Ian McKeever’s brother), falsified his veterinary records to allow him to operate as a carriage horse. Ryder’s records claimed he was 13 years old, when he was really 26.

McKeever did not defend himself in court and was charged a $1,000 fine for the forgery.

‘Ryder was approved to work by both the city and the carriage industry. It shows there was a failure at every level,’ said Edita Birnkrant, the executive director of New Yorkers for Clean, Livable, and Safe Streets (NYCLASS), an animal rights nonprofit who have been documenting the conditions of New York City carriage horses.

Ryder retired to Maple Hill Farms in upstate New York (Picture: Facebook/FriendsOfMapleHillFarms)

‘No amount of regulations or changes can change the conditions of nyc that make horse drawn carriages inherently cruel, inherently dangerous, and inherently deadly,’ Birnkrant told Metro.co.uk.

Weeks after his collapse in Midtown, Ryder was retired and taken to Maple Hill Farms upstate by animal rescue organizations, including Equine Rescue Resource and the Unbridled Heroes Project.

Ryder was taken to the Cornell Equine Hospital, where veterinarians diagnosed him with a ‘variety’ of medical conditions. He was humanely euthanized last week.

‘He wasn’t gaining any weight, even though he was getting much better care and food,’ said Birnkrant, who has been in touch with the rescue organizations that brought Ryder to Maple Hill. ‘It was too late. He endured months of abuse.’

Rally participants holding animal anti-abuse signs in front of the Pulitzer Fountain in Manhattan to demand end of horse carriage abuse in New York City (Picture: Ryan Rahman/Pacific Press via ZUMA Press Wire)

Maple Hill Farms is waiting for a necropsy to determine Ryder’s exact cause of death, and is cooperating with the District Attorney’s office in the animal cruelty investigation.

‘While Ryder is no longer with us, we find some comfort in knowing that Ryder’s new owner provided him the best possible care, utmost attention and long‐needed love that he so deserved,’ Maple Hill Farms stated. ‘Ryder’s new owner and many others involved are devastated by his loss.’

Days after Ryder’s collapse, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg announced that his office would conduct an investigation into the incident.

But activists with NYCLASS and other organizations are looking to take a step further. They are asking the City Council to pass a bill that would ban all carriage horses in the city.

The bill was sponsored by Councilmember Robert Holden of Maspeth, and got its second endorsement today by Councilmember Shakir Krishnan of Elhmhurst.

Birnkrant said that Ryder was just the ‘tip of the iceberg’ for the carriage industry. ‘We know with 100% certainty that there are sick animals. We have documented for years horses with open wounds, ribs sticking out, arthritis, and lameness working in Central Park,’ she said.

With the news of Ryder’s death, NYCLASS announced they would hold a protest at noon on October 18 to gather support for the bill. The rally will take place at the intersection where Ryder collapsed in August.

Transport Workers Local 100, the union that represents the carriage drivers, has proposed changes to the system to make life easier for the horses and workers – including building a new spacious stable in Central Park so that horses will no longer have to travel through Midtown.

However, Birnkrant said the union’s proposal was unrealistic. ‘They expect New York City taxpayers to pay $50million to build a stable for a private industry? It’s absolutely outrageous, and a complete nonstarter, Birnkrant said.

She also pointed out that a compromise bill that would have built a new Central Park stable almost passed in 2019, but the carriage industry walked away from the negotiations.

‘At this point, the only thing that would make any sense is to get these horses out of here,’ Birnkrant said.

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Activists are calling for an end to the city’s carriage horse industry.