British jump jockey apparently imitated Zinedine Zidane by head-butting his horse, City Affair. Paul O'Neill apologized for the vicious attack on the horse.

The incident occurred prior to a race in Stratford, England.

Footage of the widely broadcasted event revealed O'Neill dismount and bang his helmet into the horse's snout, after nearly being thrown off.

Although City Affair has made a full recovery, O'Neill will face a hearing on August 3.

A spokesman for the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) told BBC, "We trust the racing authority will deal appropriately with the jockey."

He added, "We are satisfied the horse wasn't actually distressed or suffered any injury as a result of this incident, but it sets a very poor example and is not the way to behave with animals."

He concluded, "People in a position of responsibility, dealing with horses, shouldn't be behaving that way."