A 15-year-old carriage horse named Lady was found dead on a street in Hell’s Kitchen, Manhattan, prompting a police investigation. Lady, who had recently started working as a New York City carriage horse after a physical exam showed no health issues, suddenly collapsed while returning to her stable from Central Park. Veteran carriage driver Christina Hansen called for a thorough necropsy to determine the cause of death and criticized animal rights activists for exploiting the incident to attack carriage drivers.

The horse’s death follows a similar case last year involving another carriage horse, Ryder, whose collapse led to animal cruelty charges that were later acquitted. Animal rights group NYCLASS condemned the current system protecting carriage horses as ineffective and demanded legislative action, including the passage of “Ryder’s Law.” The city enforces temperature-related work restrictions for horses, but concerns remain about their welfare. The investigation into Lady’s death is ongoing, with no arrests made.