A Manhattan carriage driver was overwhelmed with emotion on Monday after a jury found him not guilty of overworking his fragile colt Ryder, which had collapsed on a Manhattan street in 2022 and passed away months later.

The jury, comprised of six Manhattan residents, cleared 56-year-old Ian McKeever of a misdemeanor animal abuse charge. During the trial, McKeever condemned the allegation as “ridiculous,” insisting that throughout his long career, he had “never been accused of abusing a horse.”

McKeever began sobbing after the not guilty was read aloud in Manhattan Criminal Court Monday morning.

After taking a moment to collect himself, he then turned around to the court gallery, flashed a grin and gave a thumbs up.

“I’ve been doing it 40 years, and I’ll be going back.,” McKeever told reporters afterward. “It’s my life. I’ve been doing it my whole life.”