Carriage Driver on Trial After Horse's Collapse in NYC

A carriage driver went on trial Tuesday over a horse's collapse on a Manhattan street, in a criminal case that encapsulates years of modern-day strife over an old-timey tourist attraction, the AP reports. Prosecutors say Ian McKeever relentlessly kept driving the horse, Ryder, on an 84-degree day in August 2022, despite signs that the animal was struggling to pull the carriage before he went down en route back to his barn. "The defendant chose to press on, business as usual, and overwork Ryder," prosecutor Taylor Maurer told jurors in her opening statement. The horse survived the fall but was euthanized some months later because of health problems.

McKeever, 56, has pleaded not guilty to a misdemeanor animal cruelty charge. His attorney says the horse was properly cared for, wasn't overheated, and simply tripped and fell. "Ryder's fall is heartbreaking, but the evidence in this case is not going to show that Ryder fell because Ian overdrove him," the lawyer, Raymond Loving, said in his opening statement. McKeever, who is expected to testify later in the trial, has been a carriage horse driver for 30 years. His attorney said Ryder belonged to the defendant's brother. If convicted, he could face up to a year in jail, though the charge also allows for alternatives such as fines or community service.

Horse-drawn carriages have plied Central Park and the city's streets for over 150 years. Featured in countless movies and TV shows, they're a quaint attraction for many tourists and a cause célèbre for activists who have long wanted them banned. Animal advocates say it's inhumane to have horses navigating Manhattan traffic. Over the years, some horses have gotten startled, run off and collided with cars or other objects. Others besides Ryder have collapsed on the job. But supporters of horse-drawn carriages see the coaches as a romantic remnant of a bygone New York. They also note that the carriages net tourist dollars and have provided hundreds of jobs to drivers, plus jobs for a glut of farm and racing horses, some of whom may have otherwise been headed for the slaughterhouse.