Photo by: NYCLASS
It is with a heavy heart that WAN shares the news that Ryder, the elderly horse who collapsed in August and was beaten by his owner, Ian McKeever, in New York City, has died.
The tragic news was shared by numerous organizations that have been fighting to put an end to this cruel and archaic use of horses in New York City. One such organization, Voters for Animal Rights, called Ryder’s death “another tragic reminder that horse carriages do not belong on the streets of NYC.” Moreover, the political organization shared in a post on its Facebook page that the appalling incident was completely avoidable had NYC Council Speaker Adrienne Adams agreed with the 71% of New Yorkers who wanted her to pass a ban on horse carriages.
“We are beyond sickened and fed up with the 16 spineless politicians in the New York City Council who, while running for office, promised us they would support a ban on horse carriages, but have still not signed on to Intro 573, legislation that would end this for good,” stated the group which listed the Facebook handles of the politicians in its post.
Intro 573 is a bill that would help end the horse drawn carriage industry by prohibiting the issuance of new licenses used in the operation of horse drawn cabs. Instead, the bill supports the use of horseless electric carriages that would provide trips within Central Park and certain areas of Manhattan.
If passed, the operation of horse drawn cabs would be prohibited beginning on June 1, 2024. Instead, “the carriages would be electric low-speed vehicles that have a maximum speed performance of no more than 25 miles per hour. In Central Park, the carriages would be limited to speeds of three miles per hour. The City would be responsible for establishing a program to lease or sell the new carriages to prospective owners, with priority given to former horse drawn cab license holders. Under the new program, carriage owners would be required to pay carriage drivers a prevailing wage that would be set by the Comptroller. Former horse drawn carriage driver’s license holders would be given priority for the new driver’s licenses.”
NYCLASS also released a statement in response to the death of Ryder. As per the organization, McKeever is currently under investigation by the Manhattan District Attorney’s office for animal abuse and the Department of Health recently charged his brother and fellow carriage owner Colm McKeever for falsifying the horse’s veterinary records with forged documents that changed Ryder’s age from 26 to 13 years old. It is believed that Ryder’s body has been transferred to Cornell University for a necropsy to determine the cause of his death.
“We are devastated to learn that carriage horse Ryder has died. 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,” said Edita Birnkrant, Executive Director of NYCLASS.
“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,” continued Birnkrant.
“Let’s honor Ryder’s memory and protect all the other carriage horses still suffering in New York City by passing Intro 573 in the New York City Council to END carriage horse abuse once and for all,” stated NYCLASS, which is holding a protest tomorrow, October 18th, at 12:00pm, at 45th st. and 9th ave, the location where Ryder collapsed. “We will demand Speaker Adrienne Adams + @nyccouncil pass Intro 573 into law to end this criminal abuse.”
More information on ways that you can help and take action is available, HERE!
