Cops say transporting a horse this way is not illegal, but it sure ain’t right

Passing a truck carrying a horse on the highway typically results in a scrunched-up face due to the smell, but in this extremely strange case, it led to looks of disbelief. Rather than using a proper trailer, a Texas pickup driver was caught doing 70 mph on the highway while a horse stood in the bed unprotected.

The incident, which occurred on U.S. Route 59 near Corrigan, Texas, about 100 miles north of Houston, was captured in the cellphone photograph seen in the video above. According to the report from

ABC 13

, the cops eventually pulled the driver over but were unable to cite him. Technically, there is no law that says a horse cannot be moved using this method. That’s only made clear in rule 16, article 12 of the book of common sense. And you’d think an animal cruelty citation might cover the situation, as witnesses said the animal was struggling to maintain its footing on the truck bed.

Even more baffling, the driver told police the horse is reportedly worth $15,000. So if the risk to the horse’s life didn’t matter, the risk to a significant investment should have.

So what was the driver’s explanation? Police say he told them the truck that normally towed the horse trailer would not start. The report did not mention what type of trailer it was, but we’re pretty sure it could have been disconnected and used with this

working truck

.

Thankfully, the horse was not harmed during its open-air trip. Just, in all likelihood, terrified.