Carriage Horse’s Death Sparks NYC Rally

HELL'S KITCHEN, NY — Animal rights activists and local politicians are rallying on Wednesday after a carriage horse collapsed and died Tuesday afternoon in Hell's Kitchen, New York City Police Department officials said.

The rally, organized by animal rights group NYCLASS, will take place on Wednesday at noon at the corner of 51st Street and 11th Avenue, where the horse collapsed on Tuesday just before 2:30 p.m., police said.

The horse was a 15-year-old mare named Lady, who had worked in New York City for less than two months, according to the New York Times. She had only done two rides on Tuesday and was pronounced dead after being brought to a Hell’s Kitchen stable, the New York Times reported.

Videos posted to social media show the horse unconscious, with her eyes open, lying on a pedestrian island.

The police told Patch the horse's death is under investigation, and that no arrests have been made yet.

According to the New York Post, the horse will be transported to Cornell University for a necropsy.

The tragic death comes just three weeks after a New York jury acquitted carriage horse driver Ian McKeever of animal abuse charges for Ryder, a 30-year-old carriage horse who collapsed while on the job and later had to be put down.

For questions and tips, email Miranda.Levingston@Patch.com.