Original Article: https://blog.theanimalrescuesite.greatergood.com/nyc-carriage-horse-ryder-has-died/

In August, an underweight and malnourished carriage horse named Ryder collapsed on a Manhattan street from what appeared to be heat exhaustion. As if that wasn’t bad enough, the driver, Ian McKeever, whipped the horse to try and get him back on his feet.

NYC police arrived and used a hose to cool down the horse and eventually transported him back to the stables. The outrageous incident was captured on video and drastically increased the amount of people calling for an end to carriage horses in NYC.

NYCLASS, an animal advocacy organization, has been fighting for the welfare of carriage horses and pushing for an end to horse carriage rides. They were devastated when they learned Ryder recently passed away.

“His horrific collapse, after years of neglect and abuse, inspired tens of thousands of people from across the globe to stand up to carriage horse industry cruelty. But make no mistake: this tragedy was not caused by an act of God – Ryder’s death was the result of savage cruelty and greed. To make a profit, the horse carriage industry would have literally worked Ryder to death if it weren’t for viral videos and the people who exposed their endless lies and cover ups. Their mistreatment of Ryder is the reason he is dead,” stated Edita Birnkrant, Executive Director of NYCLASS.

“This is not over. There’s an ongoing criminal animal abuse case pending against Ian Mckeever, who whipped Ryder after he collapsed onto the scorching pavement once his body finally gave out after months of criminal neglect. Let’s honor Ryder’s memory and protect all the other Ryders still suffering in New York City by passing Intro #573 in the NYC Council to end carriage horse abuse once and for all.”

It turns out that Ryder was twice the age his owner claimed he was. A vet who examined him estimated the horse’s age to be 28-30, which is roughly 80 in human years.

The Department of Health also charged Colm McKeever, Ian’s brother, for falsifying Ryder’s veterinary records with forged documents changing the horse’s age from 26 to 13. An autopsy is being performed to discover Ryder’s cause of death.

Protesters are heading to the location where Ryder collapsed in August to hold a vigil for the senior horse and to urge New York City Council to get horses off the streets. The new proposed bill will replace horse carriages with modern electric carriages, making the streets safer for everyone while saving countless horses.

You can help by signing the petition below to save carriage horses in NYC.

Source: The Animal Rescue Site Blog