NYCLASS and animal rights activists rallied exterior the Felony Courthouse calling on town council to go Ryder’s Regulation.
Photograph by Gabriele Holtermann
Whereas the prison trial for Ian McKeever, the horse handler who allegedly abused his carriage horse Ryder in Aug. 2022, was supposed to start out on Feb. 24 at Manhattan Felony Courtroom however was postponed once more till Mar. 18, animal rights activists with NYCLASS, New York Metropolis Council Member Robert Holden (D-Queens), and Republican Mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa held a rally exterior the courthouse, renewed their calls for the Metropolis Council and speaker Adrienne Adams (D-Queens) lastly deliver Intro #967, also called Ryder’s Regulation, to a vote.
The invoice would ban horse-drawn carriages and substitute them with electrical carriages.
In Aug. 2022, carriage horse Ryder collapsed on a New York Metropolis avenue amidst a heatwave after working 10 hours. A viral video confirmed its handler, Ian McKeever, jerking the reins and whipping the malnourished horse that was in apparent misery. Ryder died in Oct. 2022, and in Nov. 2023, prosecutors charged McKeever with one misdemeanor depend of overdriving, torturing and injuring animals, and failure to supply correct sustenance – a Class A misdemeanor -saying of their criticism that McKeever’s actions “unjustifiably injured, maimed, mutilated, and killed an animal” and disadvantaged Ryder of needed sustenance.
Ryder’s loss of life renewed the requires a horse-carriage ban and help of Intro#967, launched by Council Member Holden in July 2022. Over 70 p.c of New Yorkers help the invoice, which additionally has bipartisan help from fifteen metropolis council members.
Nonetheless, proponents say that Metropolis Council speaker Adrienne Adams and Metropolis Council members refuse to help the invoice as a result of they’re beholden to the highly effective Transport Employees Union (TWU) Native 100, representing the horse-carriage drivers, together with McKeever.
Edita Birnkrant, government director for NYCLASS, appealed to New Yorkers to contact their respective council members, urging them to help Ryder’s Regulation.
NYCLASS and animal rights activists rallied exterior the Felony Courthouse calling on town council to go Ryder’s Regulation. Photograph by Gabriele Holtermann
“We have a city council that refuses to hold a hearing that is not majority supporting the bill because they’re afraid of blowback by the union that’s backing up the animal abusers like Ian McKeever,” mentioned Birnkrant, mentioning that many U.S. and worldwide cities have banned horse-drawn carriages.
“We can’t even keep up with all the cities around the world that are banning horse carriages, replacing them with electric carriages. And New York is stuck in the dark ages because of this union and political corruption,” Birnkrant mentioned.
Holden defined that if town council speaker didn’t help a invoice, it “wasn’t going anywhere.”
“The TWU controls this bill because they won’t support any council member that backs this bill, and that’s what the council members are afraid of. It’s as simple as that,” Holden mentioned. “The voters of New York should pay attention to this because it happens every day in [the] New York City Council. Special interests control everything.”
Sliwa shared that he talked to some TWU members, and so they have been shocked to be taught that their union additionally represented horse carriage drivers.
NYCLASS and animal rights activists rallied exterior the Felony Courthouse calling on town council to go Ryder’s Regulation. Photograph by Gabriele Holtermann
“One of my Guardian Angels [members] is a trustee in the union. They never discussed this,” Sliwa acknowledged.
The Guardian Angel founder echoed Birnkrant’s sentiment that horse-drawn carriages didn’t have a spot in fashionable time New York Metropolis.
“New York City always prides itself [as a leader], and yet, we are the ones who are most arcane, most primitive, most barbaric, towards these beautiful animals, these horses, who need to be able to frolic [and] fraternize with one another. They need space to roam,” Sliwa mentioned. “They’re horses. Heads are down on the asphalt. They’re suffering. They’re depressed. If we saw a human being like that, ‘We would say, what’s the problem?’”
In line with Birnkrant and Holden, many present metropolis council members had promised to help Intro#967 whereas operating for metropolis council however withdrew their help as soon as elected.
“We have on paper enough support to pass this bill. But because of the [TWU] lobbying so hard against the council members who want to do the right thing but are afraid that they will be blacklisted by the incredible power union holds, they are not signing on, and they’re not speaking,” Birnkrant mentioned.
NYCLASS and animal rights activists rallied exterior the Felony Courthouse calling on town council to go Ryder’s Regulation. Photograph by Gabriele Holtermann
Horse skilled and coach Michael Petrelli, who runs the YouTube channel “Harness Horses Uncovered,” has noticed and reported dozens of Central Park carriage horses requiring veterinary care. Accidents vary from broken and cut up hoofs to lame legs and exhaustion, to call just a few. The horses should be cleared for work by a Division of Well being vet, or they find yourself in a slaughterhouse.
“[The City’s] terminology for letting horses work in the park is “serviceably sound,” Petrelli defined. “So there’s an acceptable amount of pain that’s allowed that we see as cruel and criminal.”
The previous harness coach shared {that a} coach can be suspended if he raced an injured horse in harness racing.
“There are ramifications for [the trainer’s] actions. There are none here in the city,” Petrelli mentioned.
New York News Metro has reached out to Speaker Adrienne Adams and TWU Native 100 for remark.
Council Member Robert Holden launched Ryder’s Regulation. Photograph by Gabriele Holtermann 
Mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa and Council Member Robert Holden name on town council to go Ryder’s Regulation. Photograph by Gabriele Holtermann 
Michael Petrelli has noticed dozens of injured carriage horses. Photograph by Gabriele Holtermann
