There was a horse on the loose on I-95 in Port Richmond

Why did the horse cross I-95? To get to the other side.

A rogue horse from Strawberry Mansion nonprofit Fletcher Street Urban Riding Club was spotted galloping on I-95 between the Girard and Allegheny Avenue exits early Tuesday morning. The riding club worked with Philadelphia and Pennsylvania State Police to recapture the horse on Westmoreland Street in Port Richmond about 6:45 a.m.

Philadelphia police told CBS3 they received reports of a horse prancing along the highway throughout the morning. The runaway gelding was first spotted on Kelly Drive, police said, before making its way onto I-676 and then I-95.

Pennsylvania State Police first encountered the horse near the I-676 on-ramp on Sixth Street near Franklin Square, said spokesperson William Butler. Troopers then stopped all northbound traffic so they could conduct a wild horse chase up I-95 to Exit 25, Butler said, where they were able to escort the horse off the interstate and into whatever police custody looks like for an animal.

“I have no idea how he got loose,” a man in a light-blue Fletcher Street Urban Riding Club sweatshirt told reporters while loading the horse into a trailer. The man — who did not identify himself — said that somebody let the horse out.

Fletcher Street Urban Riding Club confirmed to The Inquirer that the fugitive equine belonged to them and “escaped under suspicious circumstances” that may have involved vandalism.

“It appears the stable may have been broken into and the horse may have been intentionally released after closing hours,” the riding club said in a statement. “We are deeply concerned by this incident. ... We take the safety and well-being of our animals very seriously and are committed to providing them with a secure and loving environment.”

Fletcher Street Urban Riding Club has taught horseback riding to children since 2004, but had informally supported Philly’s tight-knit community of Black riders for decades before that. After serving as inspiration for the 2021 Idris Alba film Concrete Cowboy, the riding club expanded from its namesake stables on Fletcher Street in Strawberry Mansion to a second location in East Fairmount Park at the end of 2023.

The riding club declined to give the horse’s name and origin story. The riding club is working on “enhanced security measures” following the incident, according to the statement.

While Philadelphia police did not immediately respond to a request for comment, they did post a piece of advice on X (formerly Twitter).

“Hey Philly, uh, hold your horses (so we don’t have to),” police tweeted. Cue the jokes.

Staff photographer Alejandro A. Alvarez contributed to this article.