Central Park carriage driver charged with animal abuse after horse collapsed and died

A carriage horse driver in Central Park, New York has been charged with animal abuse and neglect for allegedly overworking a carriage horse to the point that it collapsed and suffered from "significant health issues," Manhattan's district attorney's office said in a news release.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg, Jr., charged the horse, Ryder's, coachman with one count of overdriving, torturing and injuring animals, a class A misdemeanor, and failure to provide proper sustenance.

Ryder was euthanized several months after the incident in August 2022 "due to his poor medical condition", said the DA's office.

'Unacceptable'

“As alleged, Ryder should not have been working on this hot summer day," said the DA. "Despite his condition, he was out for hours and worked to the point of collapse."

Bragg said that the abuse Ryder faced was "unacceptable" and that all animals deserve to be "treated with the utmost care".

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What happened with Ryder?

The district attorney's office, citing court documents and statements, said that the horse collapsed around 5:10 p.m. on August 10, 2022, in the middle of the street at West 45th Street and 9th Avenue in Manhattan, New York after working in Central Park since 9:30 a.m. Ryder had been observed to be very thin and frail throughout the day and was seen "walking slowly while panting with his tongue hanging out of his mouth," said the news release.

While Ryder was suffering, his coachman "repeatedly tried to force him to stand by pulling on the reins, yelling, and using a whip," said the DA's office, adding that the animal was not given any water or sustenance despite the 84-degree weather.

When the horse collapsed and lay on the ground, his driver kept Ryder attached to the carriage harness, said the DA's office, until an NYPD officer removed the harness, allowing the animal to fully lie down. The officer also put ice and cold water on Ryder to help him recover.

"It was later determined that Ryder suffered from a variety of significant health issues," said the news release. "He was eventually euthanized due to his overall health and medical conditions."

An arrest warrant was produced for Ryder's driver and he was arrested on November 13, according to court records and arraigned on November 15, where he pleaded not guilty to the misdemeanor. He is now expected to appear in court on December 20, 2023 to address the charges.

Attorney's statement

Raymond L. Loving, the horse carriage coachman's attorney, told USA TODAY that the case "reeks of interference by outside groups".

"The incident in this case took place in August of last year," said Loving. "Now over a year later the District Attorney’s Office has decided to bring criminal charges. Are you kidding me? People have known about this case for over a year."

"This case reeks of interference by outside groups being brought to bear on the District Attorney’s Office," added Loving. He did not specify who these "outside groups" were.

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Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at sshafiq@gannett.com and follow her on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter @saman_shafiq7.