‘Bringing the country to the city.’ Cowboys rode horses on Ocean Drive during spring break

Stephen Harmon ignored Miami Beach’s persistent messaging to stay away, choosing instead to trot along Ocean Drive on his trusty white steed Tango because he was on a far more important mission: bringing the country to the city.

“Every time I take my horse out in the city, I always see somebody that never seen a horse and never been around a horse,” Harmon told the Miami Herald, perched atop Tango.

Harmon, 41, drove from Hopkins, South Carolina, with 14-year-old Tango and 9-year-old Little Bit, a pair of standardbred walking horses, to experience his first spring break in Miami Beach.

Residents, spring breakers and police officers were open-mouthed and gawking as Tango and Little Bit strode down Ocean Drive.

Read more: See photos from South Beach as spring break begins during city’s police crackdown

Harmon said he saw all the messaging from the city and remembered the violence from last year’s spring break. But he said it was far more important to bring joy to the people.

“I wasn’t scared, but I’m like, it’s not going to detour me. I’m not going to change my mind,” he said. “I said, ‘You know what? I’m going to do that’ and give people a good experience. We’re going to see how it is.”

Harmon trains eight horses on his ranch in South Carolina that he uses for events like this and quarter-racing in Louisiana and other states.

He and his horses have sauntered through South Beach since Wednesday and will continue until Monday, as long as police continue to allow it. He said he’s already had to school officers that horses have a right-of-way and can be ridden on city streets.

Although, finding a place to park his trailer was quite the task. Parking attendants and police officers didn’t have a straight answer on where a horse trailer could go.

All in all, he plans to continue enjoying spring break and bringing more excitement to locals and visitors alike.

“I just love to make people happy,” he said. “I believe that the more people you help, the better off you are.”