Carriage horse collapses and dies on New York City street

A carriage horse named Lady collapsed and died on a New York City street, sparking renewed debate about the treatment of these animals in the tourism industry.

Lady, a 15-year-old carriage horse working in Central Park, collapsed on 11th Avenue in Hell's Kitchen on the afternoon of 5/8, attracting the attention of passersby.

Lady had arrived in New York City only six days earlier and had completed just two carriage rides before collapsing.

A witness working nearby recounted how Lady's handler tried to revive her. Bystanders brought buckets of water, but Lady died at the scene.

"Her tongue was hanging out on the asphalt, eyes wide open," said Alex, 26, adding that the handlers tried to pull the horse onto the carriage. "Her mane was dragging on the floor, getting soaked. It was pretty traumatic."

Carriage horse Lady collapsed and died on a New York City street on 5/8. Photo: NYP

Police arrived and transported Lady's body to a nearby stable.

Lady's death has outraged animal rights activists. "Horses continue to collapse, suffer, and die. Nothing has changed," said Edita Birnkrant, executive director of New Yorkers for Clean, Livable, and Safe Streets (NYCLASS).

Lady's body will be taken to Cornell University for a necropsy. Christina Hansen, a spokesperson for the carriage horse industry in New York, said Lady may have suffered an aneurysm or heart attack, and insisted the horse was not overworked.

Carriage horse Lady collapsed and died on a New York City street on 5/8. Photo: NYP

Carriage horse Lady collapsed and died on a New York City street on 5/8. Photo: NYP

Hansen said Lady was recently purchased from Pennsylvania and passed a veterinary examination on 12/6. "The comprehensive exam revealed no abnormalities. We have the strictest carriage horse regulations in the country," she said.

Lady's death follows the 2022 collapse of Ryder, another carriage horse, which ignited three years of debate and led the city council to draft “Ryder’s Law” to ban horse-drawn carriages in Central Park.

Ryder was euthanized about two months after collapsing. On 21/7, Ryder's handler, Ian McKeever, was acquitted of animal cruelty charges.