Fort Lauderdale, Fla., police have apologized after a resident complained that two of the department’s horses defecated on the beach.

In an e-mail sent to a Broward County commissioner, a Fort Lauderdale woman said that two officers on horseback rode from the street to the shoreline earlier this month. The e-mail says the officers let their horses defecate, then turned and rode back to the street.

Police executive officer Robert Carter reported back to city officials that the officers rode their horses to the shoreline to acclimate the animals to various environmental and physical conditions. He reported that the officers were unaware that they horses had defecated, and they offered sincere apologies