Flicking through some of the historical statute books can be quite amusing in terms of comparing laws of yesteryear with today's standards.

Some UK examples for you:

- A Member of Parliament must not enter the House of Commons wearing a full suit of armour

- committing suicide is classified as a capital crime – punishable by death

- in Chester you are allowed to shoot a Welsh person with a bow and arrow provided it is done inside the city walls and after midnight

The USA don't escape notice:

- Anyone caught causing "unseemly laughter" by wearing a false moustache in church will be arrested.

- It's against the law to whistle in an attempt to find your lost canary before 7am in Berkeley.

- In Atlanta, you are not permitted to tie a giraffe to a telephone pole or street lamp.

- The Little Rock parliament once passed a law forbidding the Arkansas River to rise higher than the level of the Main Street Bridge

Globally there are also a few laws that involve our equine friends (of greater concern perhaps - a number of these laws are still in force today!)

- Fountain Inn (South Carolina) law once required horses to wear pants at all times. But carriage horses in Charleston (also South Carolina) were required to wear diapers.

- In Calgary (Canada) a by-law requires businesses within the city to provide rails for tying up horses.

- In Winona (MS) it is illegal to drive a car on Main Street because it frightens horses.

- In Wilbur (Washington) it is against the law for a person to "ride an ugly horse" - the fine is $300! (one can't help but think of the fines Australia's 2 year old Triple Crown winner, Dance Hero, might have incurred as he trotted onto the track each morning had he lived in Wilbur ... as his strapper readily admitted, the gelding had a head "only a mother could love" when he was younger!)

- Horses in Marshalltown (Iowa) are forbidden to eat fire hydrants.

- In San Francisco tripping horses for entertainment has now been made illegal.

- In Milwaukee, parking a car for over two hours is not allowed unless a horse is tied to it.

- In Berea (Kentucky) and also in Willamantic (Connecticut) horses are not allowed out on the streets and highways at night unless the animal has a "bright" red tail light securely attached to its rump.

- Horses may not wear cowbells inside the city limits of Tahoe City (California).

- In Burns (Oregon) horses are allowed in the town's taverns, if an admission fee is paid before they enter.

You can't blow your nose in public places in Leahy (Washington) because it might scare a horse and cause it to panic.

I only found one that relates to Australia: taxi cabs are required to carry a bale of hay in the trunk and bars are required to stable, water and feed the horses of their patrons.

If you're interested in a wider selection of quirky equine-related laws then I'd recommend the light-hearted article penned by Jayne Pedigo. Jayne also makes reference to the DumbLaws.com site which, if you have 5 minutes and need a laugh, is also worth the visit.