NEW YORK — Animal rights activists and City Councilman Bob Holden are demanding that the Manhattan D.A. launch a criminal investigation into the carriage horse industry after a horse collapsed last week in Hell’s Kitchen.
One activist said that the collapse of the horse, Ryder, wasn’t a “spontaneous tragedy with any warnings,” but an incident that could have been easily avoided had Ryder not been mistreated and malnourished.
“Timestamped photos and eyewitness accounts show that this horse was in distress far before he collapsed onto the pavement in Manhattan traffic,” said Edita Birnkrant, executive director of the animal rights group, NYCLASS.
