Barry Rogerson, 45, from Morpeth, Northumberland, was caught on camera lashing out at a police horse before he was hauled to the ground by officers.
Speaking to newspapers, the unemployed factory worker accepted he acted stupidly, but said the horse startled him and made him panic.
Barry Rogerson: “I reacted stupidly. I did not go out to attack a horse.
“I love animals - I’ve got three dogs, a fish pond out the back and I feed foxes across the road.”
He said the pictures made the incident look worse than it was but that he had no excuse.