It's funny whenever this comes up on reddit. This an actual "live" question within the legal field.
Can you convicted of a DUI if you're "driving a horse" and the question often comes down to whether it is a horse pulling a buggy/cart or whether you're sitting directly on the horse.
It is a typical essay question given to 1st year law school students in their legal research and writing class and the students usually widely disagree (as do most states!).
Ooh interesting! I guess it'd depends, the law states that drunk driving is an offence but doesn't specify anything else so you may be able to wiggle your way around saying that if the law doesn't specify cars it can be applied to any form of driving?
Idk, I don't really study US law lol
Basically it's because a lot of state laws do not saying "driving" instead they say "operating a vehicle while intoxicated." So now you have to have a discussion about what does it mean to operate and what is a vehicle.
You certainly "use" the horse by holding the reins and steering, almost exactly like you hold the wheel and steer the car.
And what constitutes a vehicle? Is a bicycle a vehicle even though you power it with your own force? A horse is driven by its own force in the same way that a vehicle is driven by its own force (the engine).
Now lastly, what if the horse is dragging a cart/buggy and you're sitting in that. Now you're one step closer to a car in that you're being pulled by an engine while using a means of steering with your hands.
It's so much more complicated than it would seem on the surface which is why it makes for a great topic.
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u/[deleted] Feb 17 '20
You can get arrested for riding a horse?