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The Horse Who Reignited New York’s Carriage Ride Controversy Has Died

Carriage rides have charmed tourists and drawn critics since the 19th century. A horse’s collapse on a Midtown street in August revived calls to ban the industry in New York City.

Ryder the horse drew renewed attention to the carriage horse industry in New York City.Credit...Lauren Lancaster for The New York Times

Ryder, the New York City carriage horse whose collapse in Midtown Manhattan in August was recorded in bystander video that went viral, has died at the farm where he had been retired after his accident.

The horse had been losing weight, and a veterinarian suspected lymphoma, according to a spokeswoman for the carriage industry. He collapsed on the farm in Wallkill, in upstate New York, on Monday. He then suffered a seizure, and his new owner made the decision to euthanize him, the spokeswoman, Christina Hansen, said.

The body of the 26-year-old Standardbred is undergoing a necropsy, according to Ms. Hansen, to determine what sickened him.

In life, Ryder had been a rallying point for advocacy groups who have long sought the end of New York City’s 150-year-old carriage industry, whose 200 horses live in the upper stories of three barns in Midtown. Video of the emaciated horse, prone on the sidewalk, reignited a call to ban the city’s 68 carriages, which activists believe are outdated and inhumane.

In death, Ryder continued to be a lighting rod for critics of the industry.

“Ryder’s death is yet another tragic reminder that horse carriages do not belong on the streets of New York City,” Allie Taylor, the president of Voters for Animal Rights, said in a statement.

Anti-carriage-horse activists plan to hold a vigil on Tuesday at noon at 45th Street and Ninth Avenue — near the spot where the horse collapsed on Aug. 10 — said Edita Birnkrant, the executive director of New Yorkers for Clean, Livable and Safe Streets, an advocacy organization that seeks to reform and ultimately end the city’s carriage horse industry. The demonstration is in support of a bill before the City Council that would replace the carriages with electric versions.

“Ryder is dead after months of systematic neglect, abuse, greed and lies,” Ms. Birnkrant said in an emailed statement. “There are 200 other carriage horses suffering right at this moment in New York — it’s too late to save Ryder, but they still have a chance.”

The horse’s collapse on Ninth Avenue is being investigated by the Manhattan district attorney’s office.

Ms. Hansen, a carriage driver and the industry spokeswoman, said that the blame was unfairly placed. “We are really sad that he has passed,” she said of Ryder. “Horses can be healthier and safer in New York City than in any other place, but because they are animals they sometimes get hurt, sometimes get sick and sometimes die.”

Pete Donohue, a spokesman for the Transport Workers Union Local 100, which represents the carriage owners, said that the horse had inspired new veterinary and safety protocols for the industry, including bimonthly veterinarian visits to its largest stables, and equine first-aid training for drivers.

In a statement shared by Ms. Hansen, Ryder’s new owner, who asked that her name be withheld because she had received online criticism from anti-carriage-horse activists, said she was devastated by the loss.

“He was an amazing horse that deserved more time to enjoy his retirement,” she wrote. “He was happy, had friends and a peace about him that we can all hope to have one day.”

Sarah Maslin Nir covers breaking news for the Metro section. She was a Pulitzer Prize finalist for her series “Unvarnished,” an investigation into New York City’s nail salon industry that documented the exploitative labor practices and health issues manicurists face. More about Sarah Maslin Nir

A version of this article appears in print on  , Section A, Page 17 of the New York edition with the headline: Horse Thrust Into Conflict By Collapse Dies on Farm. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe

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