The City of Mobile will place at least one Animal Control officer at each of the remaining parades for the remainder of the Carnival season following social media outrage over the handling of a horse in Friday’s Conde Cavaliers parade, the mayor’s office said Monday.

“To help ensure the safety of animals, riders and paradegoers, we will have at least one Animal Control Officer on hand for all remaining parades this season,” a city statement reads.

“These ACOs will be able to advise, monitor and, if necessary, intervene on issues involving the health and safety of animals. Moving forward, we will continue to discuss how best practices can be implemented for future Mardi Gras parades in Mobile,” the statement continued.

The statement comes one day after the Conde Cavaliers, in a letter posted to their Facebook page, said the horse “laid down” because of crowd noise, and had nothing to do with the weight of its rider. The horse’s collapse was caught on cell phone video, and uploaded online where it has gone viral.

The video also shows the horse being hit and kicked so it would stand back up, with the rider still on it. The organization has said the person who hit and kicked the horse is not a member of the Conde Cavaliers.

The statement also clarified that horses are leased from a stable that provides trainers. “All decisions regarding the animals during the parade are made by those trainers,” they said.

The statement, posted around 4 p.m. Sunday, has been criticized on Facebook from people who remain irate over the animal’s treatment, and out of concern over sedated horses featured during Mardi Gras parades.

One commenter called on the Conde Cavaliers to spearhead a movement to get the horses out of the parades, altogether, noting that most riders are “completely unqualified” to ride them.

Niki Box, who witnessed the incident at Government and Jackson streets in Mobile, said the crowd gasped when they saw the horse collapse and the man kick it.

“My whole point in this is I know a lot of these horses are essentially ‘rented’ out to these organizations … I just would like to make sure the actual owner is aware of what happen to their horse tonight,” Box said.

“The horse may have collapsed again along the parade route. It was not well. Either over sedated or not fit to haul a (large) man in a parade.”