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'What if I slapped you around like that?': Outrage after carriage driver repeatedly hits EXHAUSTED NYC horse

'What if I slapped you around like that, bro?' a witness asked the unnamed driver

MANHATTAN, NEW YORK: A carriage driver reportedly kept hitting his horse after it fell on a Manhattan road on Wednesday evening, August 10. It has been said that the incident happened on 9th Avenue and West 45th Street in Hell’s Kitchen during peak hours while the carriage’s driver ruthlessly tried to revive the animal. The video of the flogging has been widely shared on the internet.

“Get up! Get up! Get up! C’mon, get up,” the horse’s owner continued to give orders to it while a number of people witnessed the drama. A shocked person even reportedly went on to ask the driver, “What if I slapped you around like that, bro?” Another one requested, “Stop slapping him.” But the man did not stop and fired back, saying: “I’m trying to get him up, alright.”

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The exhausted horse then apparently leaned on its side while the driver detached his carriage from it. Later, local cops had to intervene as they put water on the animal to make it feel better. The whole process reportedly took over an hour, and eventually, the animal was taken to an undisclosed location for treatment, the New York Post reported citing police.

Kelvin Gonzalez spoke with the publication about Wednesday's incident. He said: “I saw the horse collapse. He obviously was malnourished, dehydrated, hungry. The guy started whipping his horse and telling him to get back up instead of giving him water. I told him, ‘Yo, stop whipping him, give him some water. That’s a horse, not a machine.’ It’s really sad, man. You can tell that the horse was not taken care of. You can tell he was exploiting that horse. The horse was hungry, he was thirsty. You can tell the horse collapsed from the thirst.”

The 25-year-old Uber Eats driver also noted that the animal “tried to get up like 10 times and it kept collapsing,” before officers placed “adrenaline up his butt”. “He knocked the water down because he was so disoriented. He was out of it. He licked the water off the floor because he was so thirsty. The [driver] didn’t care. He didn’t care. He just wanted to get his horse back up so he can make more money,” Gonzalez added.

Another bystander named Cathy Garfield, 75, who claimed to have knowledge about horses, told The Post, “I told them they shouldn’t try to force the horse up. It’s just like a person you wait and make sure they get over it. He [the driver] was afraid to take the bridle off the horse because he was afraid he wouldn’t control it once it got up. He didn’t know a thing about horses. It tried to drink water but still had the bit in its mouth. I was able to convince the driver to remove the bit from the bridle. It had been trying to drink water. It’s hard when you have a big piece of metal in your mouth.”

Animal rights advocates have slammed the incident. Edita Birnkrant, executive director of New Yorkers for Clean, Livable, and Safe Streets (NYCLASS), said: “How many more incidents like this do we need? This is clearly animal abuse and it must be stopped. New York City can and must lead. The world is watching.”

Writer and animal advocate Amy M Squires, tweeted: "This is on you @NYCCouncil @NYCSpeakerAdams & @NYCMayor. How many NYers & tourists need to be traumatized? How many #horses have to collapse & die before you step up & put safety above $$? Seriously, how many?"

Nathan Semmel, 52, advocate for Voters for Animal Rights, added, “It’s time that we replace horses with modern technology. The city can provide better benefits for the horses and drivers. These horses have been suffering for years. There is nothing romantic about seeing a horse fighting for his life laying on the ground.”

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Meanwhile, Tony Utano, president of Transport Workers Union Local 100, defended the carriage driver and said: “We thank everyone for their concern about Ryder, one of the beloved Central Park carriage horses. The veterinarian believes Ryder has EPM, a neurological disease caused by possum droppings," before noting, "This is another example why people shouldn’t rush to judgment about our horses or the blue-collar men and women who choose to work with them and care for them.”