Humans aren't the only ones who are pushed beyond their physical and mental limits to feverishly "enjoy" the holidays: it's the busiest time of the year for New York City's carriage horses. Yesterday afternoon a carriage horse apparently collapsed at 59th Street and Fifth Avenue. Though a spokesperson for the Carriage Association of New York told the Daily News, "No horse collapsed," the video below, submitted to Win Animal Rights, clearly shows a horse on the ground and its handlers struggling to help it stand up.

According to the ASPCA, three adults and one child were in the carriage when the incident happened, and all were unhurt. The Carriage Association spokesman said that the horse wasn't exhausted or injured, but "caught its toe in the pavement, which is quite common," and that the ASPCA inspected the horse and determined it was "healthy."

However, Bret Hopman of the ASPCA tells us "the horse has been suspended pending a veterinary exam and won't return to work until the exam is completed." Carly Knudson, the executive director of New Yorkers for Clean, Livable and Safe Streets, urged in a release for the passage of Intro 86A, the law that would replace horse-drawn carriages with electric-powered vehicles. "During this busy season, horses are worked harder than ever," Knudson says, "We can't afford to wait any longer."

Then again, these horses are lucky to have jobs so they can afford gifts for their families and that vacation to Sandals in the spring. And it's not as if any have died in the line of duty.

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