DUI while Riding a Horse

A person charged with DUI allegations may not necessarily be driving a car or truck at the time of their arrest. In fact, some individuals have been arrested for DUI while intoxicated and riding a horse. Horse DUIs are not particularly common, but they are possible. While a person is not driving a conventional vehicle when arrested, they may nevertheless be held to a 0.08% BAC standard.

A horse is often cited as a potentially dangerous animal for a person to be riding if intoxicated. These animals are large enough to cause severe injuries to a person if they run into that individual or are struck by a motor vehicle. In addition to being a danger to others, a rider can substantially injury themselves or their horse. These injuries may require immediate medical attention and may even be fatal in some serious cases.

These animals are often considered vehicles by police, meaning that a person may be arrested for DUI if they are drunk while riding the animal. However, these definitions do not always hold up in the courts. In many cases, an initial DUI arrest may be served by a police officer, only to be lowered later due to a more conservative interpretation of DUI law.

If you have been charged with DUI and you were riding a horse at the time of your arrest, you may be able to have the charges against you reduced or dropped altogether. To learn more about your legal options in these cases, contact the Arizona DUI defense attorneys of Thompson & Volquardsen, P.C., by calling 602-510-9999 today.