"Stop slapping him!": Carriage horse collapses in busy street
The horrifying moment a carriage horse breaks down in the middle of a busy New York City street has angered animal activists.
Heartbreaking footage shows the horse's knees buckling, possibly due to the weight of the carriage it's been pulling all day in the heat, when it fell to the ground.
The driver could be seen shouting multiple times at the horse, known as Ryder, to “get up” and slapping it to get up.
“What if I slapped you around like that, bro?” one person can be heard saying.
“Stop slapping him,” another woman called out.
“I’m trying to get him up, alright,” the driver said, as he once again whipped the horse with the reins.
The driver then removed the carriage with the help of an onlooker as police arrived and sprayed Ryder with water.
Ryder then attempted to get up several times but failed until an adrenaline shot was administered.
After an hour or so, the horse was back on its feet and was taken to an unknown location to be looked at.
Tony Utano, President of Transport Workers Union Local 100 slammed those who attacked the driver for jumping to conclusions saying the horse, Ryder, was suffering from EPM.
“We thank everyone for their concern about Ryder, one of the beloved Central Park carriage horses,” he said.
“The veterinarian believes Ryder has EPM, a neurological disease caused by possum droppings.
“This is another example why people shouldn't rush to judgement about our horses or the blue-collar men and women who choose to work with them and care for them.”
However, this did not stop animal rights group PETA from calling out the practice, which constantly puts horses in danger.
“This horse COLLAPSED while pulling a carriage in NYC, likely from heat exhaustion, and has been down for over an hour,” PETA wrote.
“Horses don’t belong in big cities where they’re put in constant danger because of cars, humans, weather, and more.”
Many other supporters have called for the ban of carriage horses to be replaced with electric vehicles.
Images: Twitter