Brave police horse Tobruk has been spoiled with carrots, apples and black liquorice treats after being punched by a protester during Sydney's anti-lockdown rally.
Tobruk and his rider were managing thousands of demonstrators who marched in the city's CBD in protest against the city's lockdown on Saturday.
In the midst of the chaos, a man approached the mounted policeman and allegedly struck the 13-year-old thoroughbred, which emerged from the incident uninjured.
Tobruk's rider, Senior Constable Patrick Condon, (left) said his beloved horse Tobruk had received carrots, apples, chocolate and liquorice from the grateful community
Other anti-lockdown protestors hurled flowerpots at mounted officers covering them with soil, and another policeman was splattered with dark ink.
NSW Police posted a photo of a protester allegedly punching Tobruk on Saturday evening and pleaded with the public to identify the man.
The violent image quickly went viral on social media and received 63,000 likes and almost 44,000 comments within just hours of posting.
After thousands of outraged Sydneysiders asked for an update on Tobruk's condition, NSW Police confirmed the brave horse was safe and well.
'Good news! Troop horse Tobruk was not injured and is recovering back at the stables after a hard day's work,' a police Facebook post later read.
It was in the midst of the chaos when a man approached the mounted policeman and allegedly struck the 13-year-old thoroughbred, who was luckily left uninjured
NSW Police posted a photo of a protester allegedly punching Tobruk on Saturday evening and pleaded with the public to identify the man
The 13-year-old thoroughbred has been recovering in his stables after being spoilt with gifts
In a separate post, the NSW Mounted Police posted a photo of the police horse on Facebook, winding down in his stable after a long day.
'Our beautiful brave Tobruk safe and uninjured after his awful encounter today,' the post read.
'Thank you again everyone for your words of support.'
Tobruk's rider, Senior Constable Patrick Condon, said on the Today show that he was emotional reflecting on the moment his beloved horse was struck.
Commander of the Mounted Unit, Michael Rochester, said he was very disappointed at what he saw on Saturday.
'It's quite a high intensity environment for the horses, not to mention the police officers, and combined they made an amazing team,' he said.
'It's quite a high intensity environment for the horses, not to mention the police officers, and combined they made an amazing team,' the Commander of the Mounted Unit said
The commander described the ugly scenes as an 'escalation of violence' and said the riders and horses had done their best to manage the angry crowds
He said Tobruk had extensive training before his first time at a protest on Saturday.
The commander described the ugly scenes as an 'escalation of violence' and said the riders and horses did their best to manage the angry crowds.
Mr Condon said Tobruk was spoilt in the days after the protest and sent copious amounts of carrots, apples, and liquorice
