We Talked to the Cowboy Behind Quebec’s Epic Horseback Bar Brawl

A few weeks ago, a bar brawl video featuring two men on horseback went viral, spurring all of the Ws.

Why were these men on a horse, what was the fight about and who were these majestic after-hours cowboys?

The identity of our main knight in shining camo pants has now been revealed: Jean Roy was (once again) thrust into the spotlight over the weekend after he was arrested by local police and charged with mischief and possession of cannabis. He had been attending a public concert, with his horse and dog.

Turns out, he's actually quite well-known around Victoriaville, Quebec, where he is referred to as the 'Urban Cavalier' by both friends and foes.

We called him to talk about viral fame, the legality of equine transportation and the animal therapy he says he's trying to provide.

VICE: You were featured in a viral video a few weeks ago, what happened?
Jean Roy: I was unfortunately involved. I was passing by this bar "Le West," or "Chez Bidou" as they call it. We were with two horses, and I had someone behind me. The other horse left with the lady who was on it, because they were scared. People made me all kinds of threats, they tried to knock me off my horse and even called the police. My horse got nervous so it defecated in front of the bar, and I picked up the dung as usual and I threw it away. It was mostly inconsequential, except for the comments of people on Facebook. But when you take a closer look at the situation, you see that the problem was neither the horse nor the rider. It's more that people have lost the habit of seeing horses in the city. We have to re-acclimatize them to it.

Is it your dog that I hear with you?
Yeah that's Souky, my Australian shepherd that I just picked up from the SPCA, where he was taken after my Sunday night arrest. They confiscated my dog but not my horse. They could have just given me a ticket, since my dog wasn't on a leash, they really didn't have to do more than that. Instead, I got picked up and thrown in jail, and had to go to the hospital to get X-rays on the injuries they gave me. My nose, my mouth, my left shoulder… They threw me face-first into the grass.

How would you describe your relationship with the police?
The story with the horse started four years ago. I've never accused them of anything but they've gone after me a lot, including some criminal charges. I was acquitted by a provincial court, but on anything municipal, I get convicted. I don't want to play their games though. That's why I live with animals in town, because we must learn to live and let live, stop waging wars to earn peace.

But in some online comments, people do accuse you of not behaving well, or of breaking the law with your horse, no?
People say a bunch of things. In the Journal de Montréal, they reported that I got my dog and my horse "towed" last Sunday. My horse was not confiscated this time. When they arrested me last year, they put me in jail and took away my horse, and the judge ruled that they hadn't been allowed to do that. According to the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, an animal has the right to move around. [ Editor's note: the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms does not apply to animals.] People love seeing me in town with my animals. They come near the horse, they pet it or hop onto it … People of all ages. I pick up my dog poop, but the horse is a little bigger so I have to take a grocery bag combined with a dog poop bag and I make this kind of glove with it and throw it away. So far they've found me guilty of not collecting my horse's dung, guilty of having walked with my dog in town on a retractable leash, guilty of having tied my dog outside a Tim Hortons for the duration of an interview I was doing for Cogeco. These regulations are unconstitutional, and I hope I won't have to spend too much money going to court to have them abolished. Patience is golden.

Do you feel like you're being targeted?
I would say the general population is the victim in all this. People have to understand that animals are good for us, and not just on our plates. I'm working to fix all this, to ensure we can live in a more tolerant society. [My detractors] are unhappy people, people who have been hurt; they're not necessarily bad people. When I come to town on horseback, I'll encounter a lady who'll see the horse and be like, "Wow, can I get close to it, can I pet it?" Five minutes later, I'll see another person who will yell at me. There are even people who throw half-full beer cans at me! Yet they're seeing the same horse with the same rider…

Is it legal to drink on horseback? Do you?
I am 55 years old and I've only been drunk once in my life, at my high school prom. Back in the day, guys would come out of the bar wasted and their horse would bring them home. People don't do that anymore, there is too much traffic. If [policemen] think I'm intoxicated, they can go ahead and give me the breathalyzer test. I've never blown past the limit.

Tell me about your slogan, "Let the good times trot."
That's the base of everything! "Let the good time roll, let the good time roll! Rolling, rolling, all my life!" I'll be riding my horse and people in cars will roll down their windows and yell at me, "Johnny, Let the good times trot!" It's fun, they understand.

You've been ordered to pay thousands of dollars in fines. What are you going to do?
I have been given about $12,000 in fines, and they're not all related to the horse and the dog. I don't intend to pay a penny of these, and I don't want anyone to pay them for me.

Where does your love for horses come from?
My horse Dandy Blue Pine is 17 years old, and I've had it for ten years. It was a competition horse and had become dangerous, got along with other animals but not with humans. Over time, I managed to heal her wounds and today I take her around town and people cuddle her and she's super fine with it. Four years ago, I had to move my horse from Saint Valère to Tingwick and had to cut through the city ( Victoriaville). It was the first time the horse had been through town and it went pretty well, so after that I started to come into town more regularly. But police started accosting me, saying "you're not in the country here," and insulting me. They were quite aggressive. There are people who like it and others who don't. You know, this school of life, I've done it with humans as much as with animals. I was a sales rep for 30 years, that's communication, it's psychology. But I've always had animals and I have never had any problems with them. I'm also good at helping people with their animal problems. Animals don't really have problems, it's usually their masters who have problems. I saw a need for my services. We all have a this humanistic side. I saw the wars, the terrorism and all that and decided to get involved in my own way, with animals. Despite all of this, I think it's going alright. In any regards, good triumphs over evil. I don't come to town on horseback out of stubbornness but rather for the welfare of the whole planet.

Do you have a driver's license?
No. My driver's license was revoked two years ago. I had some traffic tickets and wanted to pay for them through compensatory work, as the Criminal Code allows. But authorities sent me a letter saying they didn't accept this proposal and suspended my license. As long as this situation isn't resolved, I can't work. Instead, I volunteer with animals and with people. I work full-time to help humans, I hang out in places where people have a good heart but difficult lives. And since I don't work, authorities can't seize my wages or my property.

Not even your horse?
My horse doesn't belong to me. I take care of it, but when I was in need of money, someone lent me some cash with my horse as collateral.

What kind of excursions do you do on your horse?
My horse is not my main method of transportation. When I have to go into town, I bike or walk. If I'm on horseback, it's because I'm going for a leisurely stroll. Horses are more restrictive than bikes: when you go somewhere with a bike, you can just park it, while an animal you are constantly responsible for it. Riding a horse is a pastime, an activity shared between two living beings who feel things. Horses have taught me a lot. Anyone who knows how to listen is able to communicate with animals, even a wild animals. I could take you into the forest, and if there was a pack of wild wolves and we could eat our lunch next to the pack leader, no problem. There's nothing more dangerous than fear. If there was no fear and people were more confident, there would be no wars. There would just be love.

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