On this day (June 3) in 2000, Kenny Chesney and Tim McGraw were among those arrested in what has come to e known as the “horse incident.” After a concert in Buffalo, New York, Chesney mounted a police horse and rode away. An altercation between McGraw, his manager, and a police officer ensued. Both superstars ended the night in handcuffs.
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The “Outlaw” era of country music has long passed. The 1970s and early 1980s saw some of the genre’s biggest names living like rock stars. However, as time went on, fans came to expect their favorite country singers to be wholesome, law-abiding citizens. Nashville has obliged, giving them more-or-less clean-cut performers. From time to time, though, superstars tend to cut loose. Sometimes, that ends in an arrest and several embarrassing headlines.
Chesney and McGraw were among the many A-list artists who performed at the George Strait Country Music Festival at Ralph Wilson Stadium in upstate New York. According to reports, an Eerie Country deputy’s daughter gave Chesney permission to ride her father’s horse. So, he mounted it and rode off. When asked to stop, Chesney kept riding. Then, deputies attempted to remove the country singer from the horse. That’s when McGraw flew into action, jumping on the back of one deputy, putting him in a headlock.
The pair of superstars and McGraw’s manager, Mike Russo, were then arrested and booked. Chesney received a disorderly conduct charge. McGraw, on the other hand, was looking at up to seven years in prison for assaulting a police officer. Fortunately, all three men were released on bail.
A year later, they were back in New York, this time in a courtroom. The court found everyone not guilty.
An Eyewitness Report of Tim McGraw and Kenny Chesney’s Horse Incident
Buffalo, New York-based New Channel 7 reported on the incident involving Tim McGraw and Kenny Chesney. Their report included an interview with eye eyewitness, Michael Burton. He was working security near the Ralph Wilson Stadium gate and saw the infamous incident take place.
“It looked like one big misunderstanding. I guess the performer shouldn’t have been on the horse, it belongs to the policeman,” Burton said. “[The officers] didn’t know what he was doing and for all they know he stole it. They didn’t know what his intent was. So, they had every right to yank him down,” he added.
“Tim McGraw saw his buddy get into some trouble and came over to help,” Burton said of McGraw’s involvement. “But using his fists wasn’t the best way to do it.”
Featured Image by John Salangsang/Shutterstock
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