His story has made the rounds of social media. Ryder is a cheval 14-year-old horse-drawn carriage used to drive tourists through the streets of New York ( UNITED STATES). But, this Wednesday, the animal collapsed on the asphalt.
He remained on the ground for over an hour, “probably because of the heat “, Indicates the association PETA on Twitter. “Horses have no place in large cities where they are constantly endangered by cars, humans, atmospheric agents, etc. added the association
Whipped by the driver
On the day in question, in New York, the thermometer reached 31 ° C. According to several media outlets, including NBC, the driver of the carriage repeatedly whipped the animal to get it up, shouting: “Get up! Take off! Take off! Come on, get up ”. Eventually Ryder was untied and the police came to assist him, including cooling him with a jet of water.
“The NYPD [police de New York], takes the health and well-being of our four-legged friends in New York City seriously and we are delighted that our equestrian officers were able to assist, ”police said. A pillow was even placed under the animal’s head, which was then brought in veterinarian.
A detected neurological disease
A spokesperson for the Transport Workers Union, the union representing horse-drawn carriage drivers, said the vet had diagnosed Ryder with equine protozoan myeloencephalitis. It is a neurological disease, caused by a parasite, which can be treated with drugs. The heat and / or fatigue of the animal were not mentioned.
The case of carriage horses is regularly debated, especially in New York. Former mayor Bill de Blasio had tried to ban the practice, to no avail.