NEW YORK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) – The coachman who drove New York City carriage horse Ryder to the point of collapse in 2022 was charged Wednesday with a class A misdemeanor, the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office said.
Ian Mckeever, 54, was charged with one count of overdriving, torturing and injuring animals and failure to provide proper sustenance, officials said.
Ryder, who suffered a variety of serious health issues, collapsed in the middle of West 45th Street and 9th Avenue in August 2022 after working with Mckeever throughout the day.
He was observed to be thin and frail and was panting with his tongue out as he walked, according to court documents and statements made on the record.
The district attorney’s office said that these were “clear signs of an unhealthy body condition based on standard health measures.”
“As alleged, Ryder should not have been working on this hot summer day. Despite his condition, he was out for hours and worked to the point of collapse. All animals deserve to be treated with the utmost care and the type of abuse that Ryder allegedly suffered is unacceptable,” Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said.
Mckeever allegedly tried to force Ryder to stand by “pulling on the reins, yelling, and using a whip,” and didn’t provide the animal with any water despite the heat, the district attorney’s office said.
Ryder was eventually euthanized due to his poor health and medical conditions, officials said.
The caught-on-camera collapse and eventual death of Ryder went viral and drew attention to Manhattan’s horse-drawn carriage industry, with public officials like Council Member Robert Holden supporting measures like Ryder’s Law (Intro #573) which intends to end the use of horses, ensure the welfare of workers and introduce electric carriages.
“Animal cruelty should never be tolerated in our city, and I applaud Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg for pursuing justice on behalf of Ryder,” said Holden of the charges.
“The barbarism of the horse carriage industry must end, and TWU's protection of this abuse on behalf of a few owners is unacceptable. We have a viable solution for both the horses and workers – it's time to make it a reality,” Holden added.
NYCLASS (New Yorkers for Clean, Livable, and Safe Streets), an organization that has been advocating against the horse-drawn carriage industry for years, celebrated the charges in a post on X.
"There must be justice for criminal animal abuse. Ryder's abuse is just the tip of the iceberg," the post read.