Photo: Getty
The death of Ryder— a New York City carriage horse who went viral in Augustafter collapsing during an incident caught on video— could lead to change for other carriage horses.
The Gentle Barn, a non-profit animal sanctuary with four locations around the U.S., is fast-forwarding plans to open a rescue for retired carriage horses because of Ryder’s struggle, according to a release from the organization.
A fundraising campaign was recently launched for the retirement home sanctuary, which The Gentle Barn plans to open outside New York City in Westchester, New York. The Gentle Barn hopes the new project will become a “verdant, quiet, and peaceful haven for the horses as well as visitors from New York.”
“While we work toward the transition to electric carriages — the ideal solution for the horses, the drivers, the environment, and New York City tourism — we can offer the horses a humane and loving retirement plan,” Weiner explained in a statement.
“At our new facility, we are prepared to mitigate the uncertain fate and less than healthy conditions that carriage horses face while also giving horse owners a new option and encouraging compliance with retirement age rules,” he added.
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In August, Ryder was found “lying in the middle of the roadway in distress,” the New York City Police Department told PEOPLE of the animal’s collapse at 45th St. and Ninth Ave.
The video renewed callsfor an end to the carriage rides in New York’s Central Parkand other large cities, with celebrities likeBillie EilishandKaley Cuocosigning an open letter through theAnimal Legal Defense Fundstating in part, “this is not the way animals should be treated.”
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Lea Micheleis also trying to raise awareness for the inhumane treatment of carriage horses. She’s currently featured in a taxi-top ad campaign calling for an end to horse-drawn carriages.
The PETA campaign is in support of a proposed ban —called Ryder’s Law— on the horse-drawn carriage industry, which PETA says forces horses to pull oversized loads in heavy traffic and extreme weather.
source: people.com
