Texas man ticketed for riding horse to Taco Bell

?width=100%25&autostart=0&aratio=16:9" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" style="width: 100%; height: 100%;">

Texas ain't what it used to be, apparently; the good old days of horses and cowboys are fading fast. Just look what happened outside Dallas.

In the northeast Texas town of Allen, hours after sun set, rancher Rick Braun saddled his pony for a trot to the local Taco Bell he's patronized on horseback for years. But it may have been Braun's last ride through town.

Because two weeks ago, Allen police officers detained Braun and his riding buddies to inform them horseback travel was prohibited in the city, and to issue $266 citations to each for "riding animal on public street," reports WFAA.

Police officials told WFAA they had asked Braun to stop riding his horse publicly before. They also said they'd gotten complaints of horse poop on the street, and worried that the dark animals with no taillights were hard to see in the dark.

But Braun, who'd ridden in from the neighboring ranching community of Lucas, said he'd taken horses on those streets for more than a decade.

"It's horse country," he told WFAA. "I mean everywhere you go in this area there's horses, everywhere."

Rick Braun was issued a $266 citation by Allen (Texas) police for riding his horse to an area Taco Bell. Rick Braun was issued a $266 citation by Allen (Texas) police for riding his horse to an area Taco Bell. Photo: WFAA | USA Today Video Photo: WFAA | USA Today Video Image 1 of / 41 Caption Close Texas man ticketed for riding horse to Taco Bell 1 / 41 Back to Gallery

However, police pointed out that Allen's city code does prohibit anyone to "ride or drive an animal on a public sidewalk" or "within any portion of the street or right-of-way of a heavily traveled street." Officials told WFAA that all streets in Allen seemed heavily traveled, but Braun contested that traffic was light during his 10:30 p.m. ride.

He said he plans to fight the citations in court, and to push for clarification over where horse riding is and is not allowed in his community. In the meantime, he'll stick to the saddle.

"It's a heck of a lot better than being in a car," he told WFAA.