A 26-year-old woman has been given a warning for riding a horse along a downtown street on Tuesday night, police said yesterday.

The woman, Hu, allegedly said she did it as a publicity stunt.

Police in Huangpu District said they received a report at 20 minutes past midnight yesterday that a woman was riding a black horse on Yan’an Road M. They stopped her near the crossroads of Huaihai Road M. and Chongqing Road S.

Hu said she had ridden from her home in Changning District. Pictures and videos of her and her horse were widely posted on the Internet.

Police said Hu had affected traffic on both motor and bike lanes and distracted passers-by, disturbing public order, an administrative offense.

If startled on a busy street, a horse can represent a considerable danger to the public.

If the woman commits the offense again she could be detained for up to 10 days and fined 500 yuan (US$73).