Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis via Getty Images
In New York, horses pull carriages mainly for tourists (illustrative image)
HEAT WEATHER – “Horses have no place in the city. Animal rights group PETA shared viral video of a carriage horse, Ryder, collapsing on the pavement in central Manhattan on Wednesday, August 10, “probably because of the heat.” He stayed on the ground for more than an hour before getting up.
The images were posted by the club on Twitter. “This horse collapsed pulling a horse-drawn carriage in New York City, likely due to heat exhaustion, and has been on the ground for over an hour. Horses have no place in big cities where they are constantly threatened by cars, people, weather, etc. PETA wrote in the tweet accompanying the video.
BREAKING: This horse collapsed while pulling a carriage in New York, likely due to heat exhaustion, and has been lying for… https://t.co/IQCXCxljBz
— PETA (@peta)
On this day it was up to 31°C in New York. According to media such as NBC, 14-year-old Ryder collapsed. The coachman is said to have whipped him to get him up. “Get up! Get up! Get up! Go and get up,” he would have insisted. In distress, Ryder stayed on the ground. He was then removed from the carriage and police who arrived at the scene sprayed him to cool him down.
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“The New York Police Department [police de New York], takes the health and welfare of our four-legged friends in New York City seriously, and we’re pleased our riding officers were able to help,” police said after the incident. Some footage also shows a pillow being placed under Ryder’s head, which was taken to the vet.
Ryder was diagnosed by the veterinarian with equine protozoal myeloencephalitis, a neurological condition caused by a parasite, according to a spokesman for the Transport Workers Union, which represents horse-drawn carriage drivers. It can be cured with medication. The union made no mention of the heat or the horse’s exhaustion.
In addition to PETA, other associations have also denounced the abuse of animals, especially carriage horses. The existence of these horse-drawn carriages has also been discussed in the Big Apple for many years. Former Mayor Bill de Blasio had tried unsuccessfully to ban the practice.
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