On August 5, a 15-year-old carriage horse named Lady collapsed and died on a street in Manhattan while returning from Central Park to Clinton Stables.

A video shared by X user @Centralparkhelp shows Lady lying lifeless on West 51st Street near 11th Avenue.

The NYPD responded to a 911 call reporting a horse in distress at about 2:28 p.m. Upon arrival, officers found Lady down and still attached to her carriage. No arrests have been made, and the investigation is ongoing.

A deli worker nearby witnessed the incident, describing how Lady suddenly shook, jumped, and then fell to her right side. “The carriage driver was by himself and he jumped down to the street and was asking us for help. We didn’t know what to do,” the worker said.

Clinton Stables staff arrived with a trailer but confirmed Lady had already passed away. Police initially prevented them from moving the horse’s body.

Christina Hansen, a veteran driver and union steward, confirmed Lady had passed a full physical earlier and began work in June. She said a full necropsy would be conducted.

Councilmember Erik Bottcher, who was present at the scene, condemned the incident as “yet another example of needless death on the streets of New York” and urged the passage of Ryder’s Law to phase out horse-drawn carriages by 2026.

Edita Birnkrant of NYCLASS called the event part of a “horrifying, repeated pattern of cruelty” and demanded immediate action.

Later, Clinton Stables staff were allowed to load Lady’s body into a trailer and transport it to the stable a block away.