New York City police have arrested an 80-year-old man who gained national fame by riding his horse around the country saying he was a cowboy who wanted to help hungry children.

Police say Tod "Doc" Mishler was taken into custody yesterday, three days after riding his horse across the Outerbridge Crossing linking New Jersey with Staten Island. A police spokeswoman said charges are pending.

Animal advocates say Mishler has abused the horses that took him on what he calls his God-sent mission.

They say he did not feed them properly, exhausted them and gave them painful saddle sores. The two horses he brought to New York were seized for examinations.

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