Police on two continents have proven yet again that riding horses while drunk is more likely to leave you standing in the dock than sitting in the saddle.

Police in the city of Cody, Wyoming, arrested a 28-year-old man for being drunk in public.

He was riding his white horse down a city street during a snowstorm and a passing motorist telephoned police because of concerns the rider and horse were a hazard in the conditions.

Police attended and when the officer stopped the rider to explain the visibility issues, he noted the man was "highly intoxicated", according to a report in the local media. He was also seen to be drinking beer.

Police decided to hold the rider until he was sober and a friend of the man's picked up the horse.

Across the Atlantic, a man found riding bareback through the city of Newcastle, England, has been fined £150.

He was seen riding down the middle of the road and police stopped him for a chat.

He admitted drinking before riding and was charged under an 1872 law which prohibits anyone being drunk in charge of a carriage horse, cattle or steam engine.