Before I started actually riding, like every horse obsessed child, I thought I was an expert on everything related to horses. Every time I saw a horse I booked it over to talk to the rider and show off my knowledge. Most often these unlucky people were mounted police officers. My hometown has several that wander around downtown, and they were one of my only sources of equine contact before age 9. The other day while perusing the headlines of the New York Times, I came across this article and in the spirit of my posts being about all things random, I was inspired to write this as an ode to my childhood heros.
Since the beginning of the recession, mounted police units have been slowly phased out of departments. Charleston, SC is the most recent city, along with Newark, NJ, to fire their four-legged ambassadors to save money. In a nutshell, police horses are the first thing to go when the budget cuts roll in. In the past few years departments all round the US have disbanded their mounted units, even in major cities like Boston and San Diego. Personally I find this pretty distressing; I always saw police horses as the friendliest type of police i.e. the only ones that aren’t potentially going to arrest you (maybe this has something to do with the cuts….). In all seriousness, mounted police represent more than a uniform to most of the population. They are photographed, petted, and loved by a large number of little girls with the horse bug. Seeing a horse on the street is so exciting; the awe factor carries a lot of authority. And really who is going to cross a horse? Police cars are not nearly so agile.
Horses possess a magic that few can resist; we all know this as we are fairly entrapped in their web. But the question of their role in today’s technology-based society comes rises. The relevance of equines has faded. In a world where most of the day is spent behind a computer screen, are horses still a tangible reality? They helped build history and were a necessary tool, but today they are a luxury good. It’s happened slowly: the horse-drawn plough, the horse and buggy, even fox hunting in England. All gone from the average person’s daily life (unless you’re this kid).
I actually have a point to this ramble: how long until competitive equestrian sports fall under the category of too expensive, too much trouble, and not worth it? Obviously it won’t be tomorrow, but what about 100 years from now? We always talk about the future of our sport, the safety component, the rule changes. What about preserving it for the future? There’s a lot of talk lately about whether or not we should be a “mainstream” sport with huge sponsors and bigger prizes, upping the awe factor. Eventing has certainly changed a lot since its inception and will clearly continue to do so. To remain relevant to the public we have to. My personal opinion is that relevance comes from passion; make people care about horses and they will care about the sport. Yes, I know this is vastly oversimplified. But I think it’s where we should start. I’m here because I love horses. I event because I love horses, not because I love the competition. Incidentally I do, but it all starts with the four-legged chestnut monster who won’t let me catch him in the field every morning.
Mounted police are the most recent causality in time’s march away from the equine tradition, but they aren’t going quietly; Philadelphia recently announced an initiative to reinstate their mounted unit (if you’re interested in getting involved or donating, check out their website) New York City still maintains a strong unit, though half the size of what it was ten years ago. They even have their own video and patented feed. Tourists still line up for photos, and kids still want to touch the ponies. In short, horses are still out there. Culture hasn’t passed them by. Let’s hope we can keep it that way.
