A horse was euthanized and its rider charged with being drunk on horseback after a Kentucky state trooper struck the horse with his cruiser, state police said in an Associated Press article on April 15.

Trooper James Richard was driving in a rainstorm about five miles east of Columbia in south-central Kentucky when he hit the horse and rider late Friday (April 13) on an unlighted, rural highway, state police said.

The horse was critically injured and euthanized at the scene, state police said. Jonathan Bryant was charged with DUI-nonmotorized vehicle after being treated and released for minor injuries. He was being held Saturday at the Adair County Jail.

Richard’s car sustained severe damage, and Richard was treated for minor injuries. The wreck remains under investigation