A horse walks into a bar… In this case, it’s not the beginning of a joke, but something that actually happened over the weekend at a bar in the Depot District.
“There was this huge group of people there outside and they said someone’s about to bring a horse into the bar,” said Daisy Glaspie, who posted a video on Twitter, which now almost 50,000 views. “I asked, ‘Is that even allowed?'”
Well, EverythingLubbock.com had the same question. Lubbock police said it’s perfectly legal to ride a horse down the streets in Lubbock, as long as you follow the rules of the roads, just like a cyclist would. However, the law gets a little gray when a horse enters into a business.
“We stayed there for five minutes and they were like, ‘We’re waiting for this police officer to leave,’ and I was like, ‘I thought this was legal,'” Glaspie said.
Police said it’s up to the business owner to determine what to do. But, police do warn the rider and business could be liable for any damages or injuries.
“There was a safety concern, but I think most people in West Texas know how to get out of the way of a horse if it’s around,” she said.
Thankfully, no one was hurt in this situation, and this rider is a skilled rancher, so instead just became a funny story to laugh about.
“I said, ‘Do you ride your horse to school? Yeah, I ride it to the bar too.’ Everyone has a stereotypical view of West Texas people riding their horse around. Everyone played into it really well,” she said.
Police also said anytime someone brings a wild animal into a crowded place, it could lead to something dangerous. They say unless the animal is very tame, it may not be a good idea to ride it down a busy bar district at night.
