Mounted Police Units: A Powerful Asset for Effective Crowd Control

Mounted police units have been valuable members of law enforcement teams for hundreds of years. These units have proven invaluable regarding crowd control situations in urban environments. As most police and sheriff’s departments understand, horses can be expensive to acquire, train, and maintain. As a result, you want to provide the best possible care and protection for your mounted units. 

In this post, we’ll explore the history of mounted police units, their effectiveness at crowd control and other law enforcement tasks, and the protective equipment that Haven Gear can provide for these units.

History of Mounted Units in Law Enforcement

Militaries have used cavalry units for thousands of years, and police-mounted units stem from that tradition. Police units didn’t use horses to keep the peace until sometime in the 1700s in Europe. In North America, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the Texas Rangers were organized in the 1800s. New York City became the first American city to organize an official mounted unit in 1858. 

Many large cities in America still use mounted units to this day, including Washington, D.C., New York City, Chicago, and San Francisco. Smaller cities like Lexington, KY, Bethlehem, PA, and Charleston, SC, also maintain mounted units. Other cities maintain horses for purely ceremonial or civic engagement purposes. Numerous advocacy groups, such as the North American Mounted Unit Commanders Association and the North American Police Equestrian Council, also work to increase awareness of mounted units and their importance. 

Effectiveness of Mounted Units for Smart Crowd Control & Other Actions

There are many good reasons why police forces continue to maintain mounted units. Mounted units can offer both tactical and psychological advantages when keeping the peace.

For example, the height of a horse allows an officer to see over the heads of people in crowds. In a crowd control situation, an officer on foot will have a restricted view when on the front lines. Mounted officers can relay vital information to police on the ground in these tense moments. Mounted units are also highly visible to the crowd and other officers, which is advantageous.

The sheer size of a horse is another critical factor. Most police departments require horses to weigh a minimum of 1,000 to 1,250 pounds to even be considered for a mounted unit. Depending on the breed, many departments have horses in the 1,600- to 1,900-pound range. In a crowd-control situation, a highly trained horse is large, powerful, and incredibly imposing. 

Mounted units are also highly agile and can often reach locations that an officer on foot patrol or even in a patrol vehicle can’t. For example, in a traffic jam situation, a horse can carry its officer between rows of cars to provide assistance or make an arrest. A suspect might believe that they can outrun a mounted unit, but they’ll be sorely disappointed when they learn that horses are much faster than them.

Protective Gear for Law Enforcement Mounted Units

Mounted units require significant training, upkeep, and expense, so you want the very best protective gear for them. Haven Gear makes specialized riot gear to protect the rider and the horse in tense crowd control incidents. 

We make a specialized riot gear suit for the mounted officer that provides added protection for the lower extremities. Our suits are lightweight molded polypropylene, which allows the rider to easily mount and dismount the horse. The material is resistant to fire, stabbing, and blunt force. The suits are also equipped with integrated cooling and hydration systems, so the officer has added comfort on hot days and always has access to water. 

Haven Gear also offers riot protection gear for horses. We currently provide a riot protection collar that will protect most horses. The collar attaches to the saddle and girth and protects the animal’s neck and chest. The collars are made from the same resistant polypropylene as our riot suits for human officers. 

Mounted units are a truly powerful asset for effective crowd-control situations. With the right equipment from Haven Gear, you can protect your force’s riders and horses.