Carriage horse collapses in the middle of busy street in New York. Distressing video goes viral
India Today
A horse collapsed in the middle of a busy street in New York. Patrol officers from the NYPD rushed to the scene and doused the animal in water. A video of the same has gone viral online.
In a distressing incident from New York City, a carriage horse collapsed on a busy street on Wednesday. In several videos that have surfaced online, police officers can be seen dousing the animal with water. The New York Police Department responded to a call and arrived near Ninth Avenue and 45th Street in Manhattan where the poor horse could be seen lying down on the road, according to People. After the incident, several animal welfare organisations called out the use of carriage horses.
A video of the dramatic incident was also shared by NBC News on YouTube. In the clip, the driver can be seen attempting to revive the horse named Ryder by pulling it by the ropes and yelling "get up". Ryder tried his best but couldn't get up and put his head on the ground. "He started whipping and saying 'Get up, get up. Like bro, don't whip your horse, he obviously needs some water, he looked dehydrated," an onlooker, Kevin Gonzalez, told NBC New York.
Watch the viral video here:
"Upon arrival, patrol officers observed a carriage horse lying in the middle of the roadway in distress," the NYPD said in a statement. The officers cooled down the horse by dousing it with water. It was then taken to a nearby stable for proper veterinary care and was in good condition by Wednesday night, according to ABC7 New York.
"The NYPD takes the health and well-being of our four-legged friends in New York City very seriously, and are glad that our trained equestrian officers were able to assist," NYPD added.
Several people and organisations initially said that the horse collapsed due to the heatwave and exhaustion. However, Christina Hansen, a spokesperson for the Transport Workers Union, told NBC New York that the horse, Ryder, received a preliminary diagnosis and a blood test, results of which are pending. Ryder was diagnosed with Equine Protozoal Myeloencephalitis (EPM), a neurological infection caused by possum droppings.
