Police Horses on Duty Today- HURRAH !!

A rare sight now but truly fab, loved the mounted police programme on H+C a few years ago. Such a pity more forces don't have them.
 
Makes you wonder how many would still be stood there chanting if they let the dogs off... I guessed the shot sound was from their side?
 
Personally think the horses should be trained to kick out and trample at a leg signal like knights used to train their destriers for battle. A few broken football louts might teach the rest to behave.
 
Shysmum - I also used to go to the display days at Imber Court. Brilliant.
I grew up near the East Dulwich Mounted Police stables.... did quite a few school trips there! Lovely, amazing horses.
 
Absolute idiotic football fans, I know some are very ashamed to be associated with this type of behaviour though.

Stunning horses, you used to see them outside Nottingham forest here. Amazing.
 
Morons. I hope the idiot who hit the horse gets a prison sentence. He is not the brightest anyway as his disguise only covered his chin. Love how the brave officer on foot tackled him and got him though.
 
Our lad went on two weeks training to join Greater Manchester Mounted Police, they came & assessed at our yard first and said he was perfect for police work, he is, he is solid, brave, stands stock still and firm (you would not mess with him)! He also looks after his rider and other horses, many a time we have used him on the roads to shield traffic from a younger horse. He is a 16.2 IDx with a leg in each corner and is of solid stance.

They undergo a lot of training, the facilities at GMP was fab, once their training is complete they are assigned to one officer and they form a partnership. Unfortnatley (but in hindsight fortunately for me) he failed his flexsion test on one hind for police work (they can be on a shift or stood in a lorry for hours on end) plus all that charging and cantering on roads meant he would not withstand 10+ years in the force, so he came back to us!

We toured round the yard at GMP a number of times and the horses there were all fab, some absolutely huge and very well looked after, they are also very well looked after in their retirement!
 
Love watching the horses work.

Football is a disgrace to this country, fights like that are just pathetic. All the money paid to those idiot players and put troops and their families get peanuts. I have no respect at all for football players.
Spoilt brats who warm way to much and have a jumped up opinion of themselves.
 
Football hasn't changed in decades. It's always been violent and more so in the 70's and 80's.

It's a game for thugs played by pansies.

Respect to those horses. May justice be brought down heavily on the man who punched that brave horse.
 
teapot said:
1 horse has the effect of 10 officers or something apparently.
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That's what my OH reckons (he is a police officer)

maisie06 said:
Those horses and riders are great!

But - what a bloody disgrace. These thugs behave worse than animals. I think that ALL games should be played behind closed doors all the time this violence is occuring. FFS it's a bloody GAME, what the hell is wrong with people??
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I got into a row with someone yesterday on another forum who claimed that everyone from Sunderland is scum. So half my family, just because they won against Newcastle :( Totally ridiculous. It's just a stupid game.
 
Amazing horses and riders, along with the dogs and ground officers. They do such great work against all of the scum bags that are on the streets these days!

What I would do to get my hands on one of them - the horses not the officers ;)

What happens to retired police horses? Are they ever sold on?
 
Elsiecat said:
There's an mounted police branch on Facebook, it's Lancashire I think. They often do competitions for people to go and see the horses in training and to meet them etc. maybe it's time we beg them to pick us?? :D
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I won that prize 2 years back :) ... it was a great day :)
 
What an idiot!!!! Seriously, what sort of thing drives these people?
Well done to the police and the police horses though!
 
My mum in her prime of equine career would work with these riders and horses during training and she said it never failed to amaze her just how brave they are. You can really see the bond they have with the riders expecially when half of the cavemen fighting are throwing stuff at them :mad:
 
they are amazing big animals, i love seeing them out! i remember police horses came to my primary school and it was the best day ever to 7 year old me :D

i honestly dont understand why people get so bloody worked up over football! its a joke!
 
My OH worked in the met police and he used to help train these wonderful horses and they just practice these scenarios (as we would recommend anyone trying to get any horse to do anything - practice practice practice).

In safe surroundings, under guidance of specialist trainers, he and his colleagues would charge the horses, shouting, throwing things, setting fires etc. so for the horses this is something that happens to them every few weeks and most of the time (ie in training)they don't get actually hurt so they get happy with it.
He did some crazy riot police things (including being stabbed) and he thinks training the horses was one of the scariest - nothing comes close to horses coming towards you like that!!
 
TigerTail said:
And yet the government are trying to get rid of them.....

They were the only thing that made a dent in the London riots

There is a march to protest getting rid of them at Beverley race course in may :)
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I've thought of going to this as you can go on horseback, but im not sure either of my 2 would be great at what is likely to be a busy event :o.

They are magnificent animals and its great to see them at work, although shameful that they need to be used at such an insignificant, well game! I hate football anyway, full of overpaid pansies, but the way the fans act is just so ridiculous and disgraceful :mad:. Its sad that so many of the equine forces are being disbanded, mostly to save cost :(.
 
I am from the North East and feel very ashamed today to be breathing the air in the same county as those thugs yesterday, that poor horse should have spun round and double barrelled that fat disgusting excuse for a human being.
 
Shysmum....
Have messaged the northumbria police to tell them we think they are fab - hope that's ok. x
It's likely the horses are from Cleveland police as they are the only force in the north east to have a mounted branch now.
 
I hate Tyne/Wear derbies. It makes the most mild mannered of supporters raving lunatics.

I'm from Sunderland, and the vitrol towards people from Newcastle on derby days is unbelievable.

The mounted police do a fantastic job, and they are there at almost every game; though obviously with the derby they are there in much greater numbers - as is the general police presence.
 
Unfortunately I see the other side of this. I work with retired police horses and although some are retired through old age, many come with some sort of problem..be it lameness, back problems, ulcers, many are traumatised and one had what could only be described as a nervous breakdown.
All of them have the most amazing temperament but it saddens me that some of them are so young. I understand that this could also be the same in any equine related sport as injuries happen etc but they don't have to deal with the same sort of violence and aggression that these guys do.

Don't get me wrong, I totally admire them. I also agree that they do a great job and are a very valuable aid to the police in crowd situations but I wish that it would be like it used to...when they were kept in back streets, brought out to charge the crowd then moved back again. Or equally, keeping the peace at public events with their "presence". They did an amazing job at the Olympics and everybody that met them was charmed by them all.

People used to respect them. Now, they are used as a front force and are constantly left facing the full brunt of whatever is happening, often for hours on end..which as we have seen is awful. Although they can still try to "charge and disperse" the riot crowds now expect the horses and specifically target them be it through hitting, shouting and as we have had...riot masks removed and firecrackers let off towards their faces!! I also suspect that the people that do these sort of things would never on another day dream of hurting an animal but get caught up in the atmosphere/tension/aggression etc

I don't know what the answer is , and I am very proud of them but still can't help but feel such sadness when a new one arrives...
 
To be quite honest, water cannon should be brought in, and this scum given a good long hard soaking. I think it's going to get very bad on wednesday :(.
 
Shysmum said:
To be quite honest, water cannon should be brought in, and this scum given a good long hard soaking. I think it's going to get very bad on wednesday :(.
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I hope anyone and everyone who causes trouble is sent to prison. I'd rather tax-payers bare the brunt of teaching scum who riot a lesson.
 
I have to say I think the police horses and their riders are absolute heroes.

BUT in this modern day and age where violence towards people and animals is on the increase and the old morality which used to keep the horses safe has gone out of the window, I really do think that all mounted branches should be disbanded. It's just not fair on the horses, they don't ask to be there and shouldn't be put in positions where these thugs feel like taking a pop at them.

Would be much better to draft in some of those really tough armoured land rovers to drive at the oiks, preferably with water cannon being fired from the roof at the same time. It's not so easy to be belligerent against 3 tons of steel whilst being hosed backwards down the street.

BTW - if that g&t had punched my horse he'd have spent the night picking the splinters from my truncheon out of his head and picking his teeth up off the floor. Well done to the PC that jumped on him.
 
3OldPonies said:
BUT in this modern day and age where violence towards people and animals is on the increase and the old morality which used to keep the horses safe has gone out of the window, I really do think that all mounted branches should be disbanded. It's just not fair on the horses, they don't ask to be there and shouldn't be put in positions where these thugs feel like taking a pop at them.
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Or how about heavily punishing the few d*cks that do attack the police horses. Why disband something because a few people don't know how to behave?
Horses have a lot of presence. They need to stay.
 
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