That Time Kenny Chesney Stole a Police Horse and Tim McGraw Put a Cop in a Chokehold

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Only in country music could stealing a police horse turn into just another wild night on tour.

It’s one of country music’s most infamous and absurd stories. And 25 years later, it still reads like the plot of a Coen Brothers movie that never got made. Yes, it actually happened. Kenny Chesney took off on a police horse like he was starring in a western, and Tim McGraw jumped in to save him by putting a cop in a chokehold.

Let’s rewind to June 3, 2000. The George Strait Country Music Festival was rolling through Buffalo, New York, at what was then known as Ralph Wilson Stadium. The lineup? Stacked. George, Tim, Kenny, Lee Ann Womack, Martina McBride, Mark Chesnutt. A certified Hall of Fame lineup and, apparently, also the perfect setup for one of the most chaotic after-parties of all time.

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Somewhere between “She Thinks My Tractor’s Sexy” and “Something Like That,” things went completely off the rails. Kenny Chesney, for reasons still only known to him, decided to jump on a police horse and ride off like he was in an old-school western. Word is, he got the OK from the officer’s daughter to take the horse for a spin. But the officer didn’t get the memo. What he saw was a guy, cowboy hat and all, stealing a mounted patrol horse in broad daylight. Not ideal.

When the cops moved in to take Chesney off the horse, he reportedly refused to dismount. That’s when Tim McGraw entered the scene. And instead of de-escalating the situation, he decided to go full WWE. According to the sheriff’s department, McGraw wrapped his arm around one officer’s neck from behind. That turned a d𝐮mb stunt into a felony charge.

Tim’s manager, Mark Russo, also jumped into the mix, and the whole thing turned into a full-blown melee. Chesney was detained and released at the scene with a court summons, while McGraw and Russo were arrested on assault charges. It could’ve been a career-derailing moment. Instead, it became one of the rowdiest legends in modern country music.

All the charges were eventually dropped. Chesney, McGraw, and Russo walked away with nothing more than a wild story and maybe a few bruised egos. But if this happened today, in the era of cell phone footage and cancel culture, you’d better believe it would’ve been everywhere.

Music and books

Shop Kenny Chesney

• Silver Sands MarinaVinylWith “Burn My Boat” and “Silver Sands Marina”See it on Amazon →
• All I Want for Christmas Is a Real Good TanVinylHis Christmas album, with “Jingle Bells” and “Silver Bells”See it on Amazon →
• Heart Life MusicBook · 2025His book about his life and musicSee it on Amazon →

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Props to Whiskey Riff for uncovering the old news clip and breathing life back into one of country’s most chaotic stories. The video, complete with grainy news anchors trying to explain how two chart-topping stars ended up tangled in a horse theft brawl, is comedy gold.

These days, Tim’s sober and shredded, married to Faith Hill, and more likely to be in a gym than in a jail cell. Kenny’s probably floating around the islands, sipping rum and keeping it low-key. But for one ridiculous day in Buffalo, they lived like true outlaws, and no one in Nashville’s ever forgotten it.