Carriage Horse Dies in Hell’s Kitchen, Sparks Animal Rights Debate

Another carriage horse has abruptly collapsed and died in NYC, this time on an Eleventh Avenue median, and animal rights activists are furious at local coach drivers.

Meanwhile, Transport Workers Union Local 100–which represents organized carriage workers in the city–is trying to convince others that their way of making a living is caring and professional, and spurred by a love of the creatures.

The tragic and untimely demise of 15-year-old Lady occurred at around 2:30pm on Aug. 5. She collapsed a mere block away from the stable where she was housed on West 52nd Street, known as Clinton Park Stables. City Council Member Erik Bottcher, a vociferous opponent of the carriage trade, was pictured with a look of utter disgust upon arrival at the scene.

On Aug. 8, a medical examiner revealed that Lady had perished due to a “small tumor” in her adrenal gland rupturing her aorta, a spokesperson for the TWU told Straus News. They described this event as a “sudden and ‘silent killer’ event that typically comes without warning symptoms.”

”The pathologist’s report does not include any observations indicating neglect or abuse. In fact, the pathologist who evaluated Lady’s weight, coat, and muscle tone wrote she was ‘in good body condition,’ ” the TWU spokesperson added.

The incident comes hot on the heels of the high-profile acquittal of coachman Ian McKeever, who was facing animal-abuse charges in connection with the death of a Standardbred horse named Ryder, who collapsed in a eerily similar manner on West 45th Street back in August 2022.

McKeever, who had been driving coach since immigrating from Ireland in the 1980s, was filmed by bystanders whipping the exhausted horse and tugging on its reins; Ryder perished not long after. A medical examiner determined that the horse was very ill when the incident occurred, which appeared to have some effect on jurors; McKeever also testified, in his defense, that he had treated the horse well and believed that it was healthy.

Animal rights activists pointedly held a rally in front of Clinton Park Stables the day after Lady’s death, on Aug. 6, where they were joined by a host of politicians from across the ideological spectrum. A protester in a horse mask lay down on the ground, while another protester poured fake blood on them. PETA was in attendance.

Most notably, the protesters were joined by Queens City Council Member Robert Holden, a right-leaning Democrat who has introduced a bill called “Ryder’s Law”–named after the horse that died in 2022–that seeks to ban coach driving in NYC entirely. The rally appeared to be generally organized around advocating for the bill’s passage.

”They don’t care about horses, or they wouldn’t work them to death,” Holden said. “They work the horses to death . . . and it’s sickening!”

The official mayoral candidate of the Republican party and founder of the Guardian Angels, Curtis Sliwa, showed up as well. He called Lady’s death “another needless casualty in the horse-drawn-carriage world.” He called coach driving “barbaric,” adding that it has been banned in other cities and countries.

Left-leaning politicians such as Bottcher and City Council Member Christopher Marte were there as well. “Enough is enough. The people are demanding action,” Marte said.

However, coach drivers are hoping that others will become convinced by the passion of their vocation, and push for reform instead of abolition. In fact, TWU recently announced they were considering suing Sliwa for defamation.

”This was a tragic and sad loss, and we are all mourning Lady’s death,” a spokesperson for TWU told Straus News. They added that the politicians at the rally had “repeatedly [demonized] blue-collar carriage-horse drivers, many of whom chose their line of work because they love animals and want to spend their days with them.”