NYC Carriage Horse Driver Acquitted Of Animal Abuse After Horse's Death

NEW YORK CITY — A New York City carriage horse driver was found not guilty on animal cruelty charges in connection with a 2022 incident where a horse collapsed and died, prosecutors said.

Ian McKeever, 56, had been charged with overdriving, torturing and injuring animals, and failure to provide proper sustenance, prosecutors said.

A jury acquitted him of charges after a five-day trial.

The incident happened on Aug. 10, 2022 at W. 45th St. near Ninth Ave. The horse, named Ryder, driven by McKeever, was outside for over seven hours and collapsed after allegedly being overworked.

Footage from the scene at that time showed McKeever showed shaking the reins and telling the horse to get up.

Prosecutors argued the Aug. 10 episode caused Ryder to be euthanized months later.

All animals deserve to be treated with the utmost of care. I thank the jury for dedicating their time to hear the evidence presented to them over these past five days. I also want to thank our prosecutors for presenting a thorough case based on the facts and evidence. We will continue to investigate and bring cases where animals are harmed and mistreated, and I encourage people to call our hotline at 212-335-9040 to report instances of animal abuse," Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said in a statement.

Councilman Robert Holden (D-Queens), who sponsoring legislation that would outlaw the horse carriage industry in the city, criticized the acquittal

“Ian McKeever knew Ryder’s true age — the horse was nearly 30 years old, the equivalent of a 90-year-old human — and still chose to force him to work on the scorching streets of Manhattan. As seen in widely circulated video footage, McKeever was caught whipping Ryder as the horse collapsed from exhaustion, suffering and dying before the eyes of New Yorkers. This decision ignores the cruelty and inhumanity of what happened. I will not give up on ending this barbaric and outdated industry once and for all,” Holden said in a statement to reporters.