Carriage horse ‘Lady’ collapses, dies on street in New York

A carriage horse, named ‘Lady’, collapsed and died on a street in Manhattan, New York City (NYC) on Tuesday afternoon, local media reported.

This has reignited the debate over use of the animals.

Daily News quoted officials as saying, the 15-year-old Standardbred Cross horse was on her way from Central Park to her stable when she suddenly collapsed around 2:28 p.m. near West 51St. and 11th Ave. in Hell’s Kitchen.

Officers responding to the scene saw the horse unresponsive on the ground and helped transport her to Clinton Park Stables.

“Lady had just started her role as an iconic NYC carriage horse, arriving here in June.

“A complete physical was conducted at that time and no abnormalities were identified,” Transport Workers Union Local 100 Shop Steward Christina Hansen said.

Lady belonged to the Clinton Park Stables — a horse boarding stable company on West 52nd St. — a block away from where she collapsed.

The city’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene was notified, and a necropsy is expected, cops said.

“Sadly, animals, including humans and horses, sometimes die suddenly and unexpectedly,” Hansen said.

“We are insisting that a complete necropsy be conducted by a board-certified pathologist at an esteemed university to determine the cause of death.”

The incident comes after a Manhattan jury acquitted New York City carriage driver Ian Mckeever, who had been accused of overdriving, torturing, and injuring animals stemming from the collapse of a horse named Ryder on W. 45th St. near Ninth Ave. on Aug. 10, 2022.

City officials pushed for outlawing the horse carriage industry in response to the incident.