Don’t fall off

When transport chiefs wanted pub goers to get a ‘sober friend’ to give them a lift home they jokingly used a horse in their advert – not expecting anyone to take it literally.

But some drinkers in Montana, U.S., have started returning from bars on horseback – and police have confirmed it is legal to ride the animal while drunk.

The Department of Transportation were concerned that people were putting themselves at risk by not planning in advance how they were getting home.

Yet after the advert was produced, Helena Police Chief Troy McGee has revealed he has been inundated with calls from people wanting to know if they can ride home under the influence.

The Montana State law definition of a ‘vehicle’ excludes anything that runs under animal power – so police are powerless to stop drunks going home on horseback.

 
Click here to see the 30 second advertisement.

 




  1. The Watcher says:

    Unintended consequences….

    And presuming your horse is smart enough to get you home, and you don’t fall off, probably a lot safer, too….

    (Yeah – dangerous, but….)

  2. Dustry says:

    And why the fuck would anyone think the fucking cops can arrest an drunk person who is on a god damn horse? This just ticks me off. What the fuck? Who’s business is it if I am drunk and riding my horse, for Christ’s fucking sake?
    That’s what makes me hate government. They just want to find a reason to arrest you, apparently.
    But that’s OK. I have about 75,000 rounds stocked up since Sock Monkey became president.
    Let them fucking try.

  3. Animby says:

    So, the horses wait patiently outside the bar for their drunken masters to hop on and vomit all the way home?

    The cops, meanwhile, are pissed off they can’t arrest a few drunks.

    Do you see what’s coming? Expensive citations for every road apple not collected within minutes of being deposited.

    That’ll teach ’em.

  4. #2 The gubment has more bombs than you have rounds. Your solution just isn’t practical. I understand your frustration, but the government, albeit a freaking failure in almost every aspect, is very proficient at one thing: killing people. Here’s a thought, check out the free state project before doing anything rash.

    freestateproject dot org

  5. Father Ted says:

    Pretty good, guys. 50% nutballs, this morning.

  6. Olo Baggins of Bywater says:

    I like the idea that because #2 hates what the cops are doing, it’s the black president’s fault.

    That’s some serious brain activity, there.

  7. Birddog says:

    In the state of Louisiana you can be charged with dwi or dui as in other states, on a horse go cart or lawnmower or anything else that can be operated by a human.

    Had a friend that got a dwi on a go cart.

  8. Yankinwaoz says:

    I don’t understand this.

    Is it a problem if you are drunk on a horse? If not, then why in the hell do the police care? As long as you aren’t hurting any one.

    Now if they do something stupid on the horse, like take it down the freeway, the police can get involved.

    It sounds more like the police are mad that they can’t get DUI revenue from a drunk.

  9. Horse says:

    Some states if you ride drunk on horse you get DUI and get charged for endangering animals.

  10. msbpodcast says:

    As long as the horse isn’t drunk, you’ll get home.

    I suspect that after three quick shots of Jack Daniels™ and three beer chasers, the horse is functionally more intelligent than you are.

    Just don’t push the horse but let it have its way back to the barn.

  11. Cephus says:

    Why is this even a story? The whole point of stopping drunk drivers is to keep the streets safer. It is not about stopping drunks from getting home at all. If riding a horse can be done safely while intoxicated and horses are legal in the area, then certainly that is a means to the intended end, isn’t it?

  12. canamrotax says:

    you are 7 times more likely to be killed while walking home than you are while driving home. (Freakanomics, Dec 2010) So riding a horse home actually will save lives compared to both walking home, and driving home. So this will be outlawed, of course. Common sense is no longer common.

  13. spsffan says:

    The reason this is a story is because there is a large (huge!) faction of the population that gets their panties in a twist on the very thought that someone, somewhere might be having a good time.

    Oh, and the cops think they are missing out on a lot of revenue.

    The only one that should have an opinion one way or another is the horse.

  14. Animby says:

    # 11 msbpodcast,

    I suspect that if you’re the kind of person who frequently does three quick shots of Jack Daniels and three beer chasers, the horse was probably smarter in the first place.

    Question: Would the court rule differently to riding ON my mustang or riding IN my Mustang…

  15. Publius says:

    People follow the law, police get pissed??

    Way to go, government workers who are in business for themselves… it’s isht like this….

  16. Publius says:

    Cops are annoyed because they can’t get the K9 to indicate on a horse — the horse could kick it’s head off, and the handler’s head too.

  17. Benjamin says:

    The horse is in charge and is driving. Now if the horse is drunk, we’ll have a problem whether or not the driver had a drink at all.

  18. chris says:

    I know a guy who got a suspended license after hitting a cop car while drunk on a bicycle.

  19. dg says:

    Horses are pretty intelligent and will generally do the right thing without much direction. If the horse is used to walking alongside roads, then it’s probably pretty safe. In fact, if the horse if familiar with the area it’ll probably head right on back to the barn without any direction whatsoever.

  20. Pinkerton says:

    Sounds reasonable to me. There’s also the added bonus of having someone to talk to on the way home who won’t nag back at you.

  21. speter says:

    in Australia, from what i understand..you can loose your car license for riding a bicycle, skateboard, gopher (elderly transport device), camel, horse or large dog while under the influence. soon it will be walking too.

    not surprising since the “commonwealth of Australia” is in fact a corporation (therefore a thieving bastard) with head offices either in the ‘City or London or in Washington DC.

    Also you can get a fine for not wearing a bicycle helmet. nanny state from hell.

  22. deowll says:

    Horses even come with collision avoidance built in though you can sometimes over come that. Some even “drive” themselves home.

  23. Mr. Fusion says:

    Anyone here ever hit a horse at 55 MPH after the rider weaved into traffic?


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