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Mounted Branch
Our mounted branch has 18 horses all living at police stables. Each horse has his own stable and is named after a Lancashire town. Each mounted police officer trains and looks after their own horse, grooming and cleaning them everyday. When the officers are not at work the horses are looked after and ridden by grooms.
The younger horses, which are around 4 or 5 years old, have just started their training and spend most of their time in the riding school. The older, more experienced horses, who’ve had loads of training, are much more confident. They help out at all sorts of busy events like football matches, protests and parades. Each horse wears its own "suit of armour" including head shields and shin pads for its own protection.
Come and say hello!
Eighty percent of a mounted officers’ time is spent patrolling the streets, so look out for them at the next Blackburn Rovers match or at an event near you and don’t forget so say hello!
Size Matters
Police horses are big! This is so the ‘mountie’ can see over the crowds and clear a way quickly. Everyone notices them.
They’re all over 16:2 hands high - a hand is around 10cm - they all measure over 1.7 metres from the floor to the top of their back. To give you an idea, our horses are just under the height of a regular door!
Did you know?
- Because police horses are special they go through a months testing before they are bought
- Mares (girl horses) aren’t chosen because they can be quite sulky and jealous
- Police horses drink about 37 litres of water a day – that’s 100 glasses!
- The horses are named after Lancashire towns and villages e.g. Overton and Pendle.
Want to know more? Check out our top five questions about the mounted branch.
