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'Ryder on the mend': Abused NYC Carriage horse recovering after collapsing with reported EPM on street

'Please do not jump to conclusions' tweets Transport Workers Union as they post a video of him eating out of a woman's hand

MANHATTAN, NEW YORK: A distressed carriage horse, who collapsed amid the summer heat on Ninth Avenue and 45th Street in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood on August 10 as bystanders looked and animal lovers called for a ban on the controversial tourist attraction, is now recovering.

On August 10, a video of the incident obtained by NBC News shows the driver attempting to pull up the horse and hitting it, while yelling, "Get up! Come on! Get up! Get up!" as the horse lies on the ground and later, puts down the head. The New York City Police Department said officers responded to the scene at around 5 pm and said, "Upon arrival, patrol officers observed a carriage horse lying in the middle of the roadway in distress," according to HuffPost. The 14-year-old horse, named Ryder, was then taken to a nearby stable, located on 10th Avenue and West 38th Street, where it received veterinary care, as per ABC. 

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Christina Hansen, a spokesperson for a union that represents carriage drivers and works at the stable where Ryder was taken, told NBC New York that Ryder received a preliminary diagnosis (pending results of a blood test) of Equine Protozoal Myeloencephalitis (EPM), a neurological infection caused by possum droppings. She said, "The neurological effects of the EPM caused the horse to stumble and fall as the carriage driver is trying to change lanes and turn here on 45th street on the way home. And once he was down, he had difficulty getting up again from the neurological symptoms of EPM. As per People, Ryder is now recovering and will not be working. Hansen told NY Post, "He’s been great. He’s been plowing through hay. He’s been eating his carrots.” However, she claimed that the horse was at risk of being sold for slaughter following his collapse. But now, the horse won’t be sold off or euthanized as a result. 

TWU responds to criticism

The Transport Workers Union (TWU) responded to criticism of the driver's actions, and wrote via Twitter, "The diagnosis of the equine veterinarian who examined Ryder is that he has EPM - a neurological disease caused by possum droppings. Please do not jump to conclusions before knowing the facts or talking to the carriage drivers' union."

And later, added another tweet mentioning "Ryder is on the mend" alongside a video of him eating out of a woman's hand.