They kill horses, but the outcry is getting louder

The New York cruelty case has again raised the animal rights issue, writes Melanie Reid

- Melanie Reid

Odds are, unless you're an animal activist, you won't have heard of Ryder.

The 26-year-old bay gelding pulled a tourist carriage in New York City until one hot August day in 2022, he fell on 9th Avenue. As police poured ice on his bony, prostrate body, passersby filmed his plight and Ryder became a symbol of the cultural fault line over animal welfare.

Did he trip or did he collapse from overwork? His owner, Ian McKeever, became the city's first carriage driver in 150 years to stand trial for animal cruelty. A few days ago, on 21 July, McKeever was cleared. Despite the thinness of the horse, and that McKeever had claimed Ryder was only 13, the jury was swayed by the horse having undiagnosed leukaemia. He was euthanised two months after his fall.