Police on Horseback

The cops everyone wants to talk to!

Since at least 1909, (and probably before that as well), Winnipeg has used horses in the Police Force.

In the late 80’s the Downtown BIZ approached the Police Service to participate in a revived mounted unit.

In 1990 the unit began patrolling in the summer months, on the weekends only with a horse called Jasper John ridden by Constable Darryl Brown.

Today the Mounted Patrol operates 365 days a year in Winnipeg.

The horses can handle -30 ºC, but the humans can’t!

In the winter the horses grow a thick shaggy coat, which unfortunately does not transfer any heat to the rider. People think that it would be warm sitting on the horses, but it isn’t.

Constables A. Proskurnik and S. Blunden are the friendly face of the force on horseback.

They don’t often meet up with bad behaviour; when people see the horses they only do two things, run towards them to say hello, or run away yelling “horses!”.

 Unfortunately, the Winnipeg Police announced on March 9 2012 that the Horse Patrol will no longer be in the budget.

From the CBC news:

“The horse patrol, a fall recruit class and the purchase of new motorcycles have all been chopped from the Winnipeg police service budget.

Police Chief Keith McCaskill told the city’s protection and community services Friday morning the moves are part of a $1-million expense reduction.

They must still, however, be approved by council at a March 20 meeting.

Shutting down the horse unit and reassigning the assets will save $20,000, while postponing the motorcycle purchase will save $27,000, McCaskill said.

Two service centres will also close, saving $60,000 in the first year and $150,000 in subsequent years.

The biggest savings will come from the cancelled recruit class, which will avoid an expense of $652,000, plus $72,000 in clothing.

The possibility of losing the horse patrol was raised in mid-February, when the police service had been told to find significant savings.

Union head Mike Sutherland said at the time that it would be a “shame” to lose a good community-building program like that.

Last year the police bicycle patrol was cut in a cost-saving measure.”

Titus and Amaro are half brothers born in Saskatchewan in 2002.

They are Percheron/Thoroughbred geldings and have grown up together.

In 1998 Winnipeg had four horses on part time duty, but now there are only two.

Out at the farm near Bird’s Hil, where Titus and Amaro are kept,  there are many animals.

The prevailing thought used to be that horses needed to be shod with metal shoes for traction on pavement and for protection from damage. The zeitgeist is changing. Winnipeg’s Police Horses go “barefoot” now. It has been realized that driving nails into horses hooves causes unnecessary damage, and the horses have adequate traction on all surfaces without any help from man made shoes.