Chesney was arrested June 3 for taking an unauthorized ride on a police horse and charged with disorderly conduct after his George Strait Country Music Festival performance in the Buffalo, N.Y., area.

“The guy in the driver’s seat just slid over the hood, and they started pulling me off,” Chesney told talk show host Jay Leno.

Sheriff’s officials said Chesney had permission to sit on the horse but not to ride it away, and he refused orders to dismount.

Chesney said he wanted to take the horse into the backstage bus compound to show the other performers’ children. His partner in crime, Tim McGraw, was charged with second-degree assault and resisting arrest after he allegedly tried to pull police away from Chesney. The stars are scheduled to appear in court July 18.

McGraw has been having his own fun with the incident. At the tour’s final stop in Houston June 11, his wife, singer Faith Hill, came onstage dressed as a law enforcement officer and led him off in handcuffs. Hill’s disguise was so authentic, some folks in the audience didn’t realize they were witnessing a prank until the giant video screens revealed her identity.