A man caught on camera hitting and kicking a horse before a parade in New Orleans has been issued a citation for animal cruelty, animal rights advocates said Tuesday.
The Louisiana Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals did not identify the rider who was seen abusing a horse in a video taken Friday during the Krewe of Oshun parade. The man was a “guest rider” with the Nu Generations riding group and has been issued a citation for animal cruelty, as well as an arraignment date, according to the nonprofit animal rights group.
The man, who was not identified by the LSPCA, will no longer be allowed to ride with the group again. The horse shown in the video, meanwhile, is currently stabled in another parish and LSPCA officials are now working with authorities to seize the animal since people charged with animal cruelty are not allowed to have animals in their care.
“We would like to thank the public for their quick action with helping us identify the person responsible in this case,” Brandi Thibodeaux, the group’s humane law enforcement supervisor, said in a statement. “The prosecution of this case is now in the hands of NOPD and the City of New Orleans.”
Calls seeking additional comment from police were not immediately returned.
Kelsey LaBore, the woman who took the video and sent it to local television stations, told WWL that she was shocked by the man’s actions.
“I couldn’t believe my eyes,” LaBore told the station. “It was heartbreaking and horrifying to watch.”
LaBore, an experienced horseback rider, said the scared animal backed away from the route and refused to move forward, prompting the man to strike the animal repeatedly in the head.
“That’s not how you correct,” LaBore told WWL. “If you’re uncomfortable, get off the horse.”
The owner of a horse riding school in New Orleans, meanwhile, said striking a horse will only make matters worse.
“You’re hitting them in the head and beating on them, all it does is scare them more,” Leslie Krame of Equest Farm said. “It doesn’t serve a purpose. He should have gotten off and tried to reassure the horse.”