Where are these horses stabled? Over the past few years, police and carriage horse facilities have been eliminated. (There used to be an active Park Police facility with 9 stalls and a paddock right by the Lincoln Memorial) I hope the city isn’t spending money to drag them from some remote location. The first horse pictured is a gigantic Belgian – what a ride that must be for the officer.

I was a little shocked the first time I saw these two trotting down Euclid St, but I had to stop and wonder, “who picks up after them?” I think it is a great presence of law enforcement in the area regardless of how effective they might be. Presence alone is a great deterrent.

I know Park Police has stables in Rock Creek Park near the zoo. Perhaps MPDs are nearby. I have seen officers riding through the park before.

We saw the fellow on the right exercising that giant Belgian in the little park next to Washington Harbor last summer, and it was quite a sight. He told us that there were only eight mounted MPD officers. I’m so accustomed to seeing mounted Park police that it didn’t register that he was with the city.

I understand that police horses are significantly cheaper to maintain than police cruisers. They make very effective law-enforcement tools, too. There’s a reason riot police still use them all over the world.

I, for one, would love to see more of these bad boys on the streets of DC.

As for clean-up: DC is already used to being crapped on from a great height, so that shouldn’t be a problem.

I saw them doing some training near my old apartment between Shaw and Logan Circle last summer- some little kids from the nearby elementary school were starring at them from across the street and arguing over if it was a real horse or “two dudes in a horse suit.” I kid you not.

For this reason alone, I think they’re worth far more than their weight in hay and oats to our neighborhood.

PS- the officer on that Belgian is pretty gigantic too! There’s a lid for every pot! I wouldn’t mess with either of them