NEW ORLEANS — A man faces an animal cruelty charge after he was recorded on video hitting and kicking his frightened horse in a New Orleans parade leading up to Mardi Gras, according to the Louisiana SPCA. The rider was a guest of the riding group Nu Generations in the Krewe of Oshun parade, an SPCA news release said Tuesday. The krewe’s captain accompanied him to Louisiana SPCA headquarters Monday. “It looks like the horse got frightened and the crowds were too much and it just shut down,” Louisiana SPCA spokeswoman Alicia Haefele said in a phone interview. “We’ve spoken with the horse’s original owner,” Haefele said, adding the original owner “made it clear the horse was not parade-ready.”Haefele said the SPCA took the horse into custody Tuesday, working with animal control authorities in the locality where the animal was stabled.

Source: National Post February 06, 2018 21:00 UTC