A young Canadian woman found out the hard way it's not okay to slap a police horse after she was booted to the ground when her attempt to show off backfired.

Police in Kingston, Ontario have not confirmed if the woman is one of three people who were arrested and charged for slapping police horses during drunken orientation week celebrations at the local university.

In the video , the young woman, who is wearing a Queen's University jersey, runs up to a police horse, smacks it on the flank and cops a hoof to the body for her trouble.

Friends who filmed the action, which was obtained by Barstool Sports , burst into laughter as the young blonde is flung several metres across the road.

Kingston police sent out a series of tweets on Sunday, saying a horse named Murney, who was in training, had been slapped multiple times while on duty.

Two men and one woman were arrested and charged, and face up to five years in prison under a new Canadian law drawn up to protect animals serving law enforcement, Ottawa Citizen reports.

Police horses are famed for their ability to stay calm and composed in the midst of chaos and noise, and Murney passed Sunday's test with flying colours.