A viral video showing a New York City carriage horse collapsing in the middle of the street and police hosing the horse down on Wednesday has outraged many. People who witnessed the 14-year-old horse named Ryder falling on West 45th Street and 9th Avenue pulled out their phones to film the horrendous moment. Animal rights groups protested outside of City Hall on Thursday and many celebrities have taken to Instagram to voice their anger and help to initiate change.
PETA posted the video on Instagram asking for people to text 73822 to help them ban horse carriages in NYC.
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Celebrities Spreading the Word on What Everyone Can Do to Help
“Selling Sunset” stars Bre Tiesi and Heather Rae El Moussa both posted Instagram stories about the abused animal asking their followers for help. So did Alicia Silverstone, Kendall Jenner, and Joey King. Silverstone, well known for being vegan and an animal lover, captioned her story, “These beautiful animals are being abused and mistreated in NYC.” Jenner posted a now expired story that read, “i’m sick to my stomach. DISGUSTED stop this now” at the top of the story and at the bottom, “i hope this poor baby is ok.” King posted a link to a petition people can quickly and easily sign. The petition had nearly 48,000 signatures early Friday evening, which is just under its goal of 50,000 signatures.
The organization, My Dream For Animals, posted information about Ryder and what people can do to help on their Instagram page, as they plea for the horse to be released to a sanctuary immediately.
Explaining What Happens Behind the Scenes
A photo of Ryder on the ground with an officer hosing him down was posted with the caption, “The horse that collapsed in Hell’s Kitchen, named Ryder, is currently at West Side Livery stables on West 38th street in Manhattan, and supposedly will not be euthanized or sold after the massive outrage that has ensued since the incident. Most carriage horses that collapse or are injured “disappear,” but due to the public nature of the incident this horse has thus far been spared. Please reach out to City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams office at 212-788-7210 and/or 718-206-2068, and demand that this horse be released immediately to a sanctuary. if there isn’t enough public pressure this horse will end up like the rest. Then please go to vfar.org/horses to sign the petition demanding that carriage horses in NY be banned!”
Call to Ban Horse Carriages in NYC
This incident is reigniting calls for the city to ban horse carriages completely. Just a month ago, CBS News reported that a proposed legislation would ban horse-drawn carriage in the city next year. There are several New York City Council members who are backing the proposal to replace the horse-drawn carriage rides with electric ones. “This is nothing new, and the technology has arrived. Let’s use it,” said Council Member Robert Holden, who authored the bill. Holden went on to say, “It’s long overdue. This should have been done 20 years ago.” Other council members backing this legislation are voicing their concerns for the horses’ wellbeing. City Council Member Keith Powers said, “To both end, sort of, the cruelty and the treatment of the animals that we hear often about on a very hot day like today. And also to continue that industry in a way that is much more humane and modernized.” Many of the horse-drawn carriage drivers said they won’t remain in the city if live horses are no longer used, claiming that the horses are as much a part of the city as everyone else.
Ryder is Healing and Doing Well
Ryder was moved to a nearby horse stable for veterinary care, a police spokesperson told CBS News. The veterinarian diagnosed the horse with equine protozoal myeloencephalitis, or EPM, according to Pete Donohue of the Transport Workers Union Local 100. While Ryder is being treated and currently doing well, PETA and other animal rights groups, along with a long list of celebrities, want to make sure this type of incident doesn’t happen again.
