The trial of a New York City carriage horse handler accused of animal cruelty got underway Wednesday.
The horse, named Ryder, collapsed in Hell’s Kitchen during the summer of 2022. The video of the horse on the ground on 45th Street and Ninth Avenue went viral, and renewed calls by animal rights activists to ban horse drawn carriages in the city.
The Manhattan district attorney’s office said Ryder collapsed after working a full day in 84-degree weather, and that Ian McKeever, its handler, repeatedly tried to force the animal to stand, and at no point offered any water…