Consideration for re-use of racehorses after retirement for police work
Given the economic value of racehorses, consideration for work in the forces can be given following their retirement from the track. The high cost of purchasing new horses for police work, alongside the special training and equipment needed for proper use in security and for police purposes can be problematic. Besides, these horses should be able to face all challenges, which includes standing against repel situations and other societal tasks. No doubt equipping new horses demands huge budgets. Racehorses’ transferable skills following the end of their career often offer benefit in police work. Here, we pass on to you the experience of using retired horses from the speed races in the United Arab Emirates to starting their new career in Police Work.
There are several reasons for directing retired racehorses to police work. The first aspect is related to compassion and animal welfare. Many countries cull these horses because they cost their owners huge sums after retiring from sports work. The second aspect relates to the large numbers of horses that are brought to the state. Those horses of the royal stables are provided in large numbers free of charge, and expended for police purposes, through qualification and integrated training commensurate. With the nature of the work of all police tasks, such as resolving riots and security cycling patrols that will maintain internal security, they ensure the best use of resources and save on the acquisition of new horses.
Upon receiving the retired horses directly from the royal stables, the vet examines them for diseases and injuries that may have been suffered from previous races. Accordingly, a qualification program for each horse is then established for a specific period. Afterwards, it enters into the training program for police horses, which includes several stages through the field designated for training, which aims to eliminate the barriers that would affect the calming of the horses. During these stages in training, it is important to use the equipment that supports the training process such as sound and smoke bombs, loudspeakers, water barriers and the exposure to the community.
At this stage, it’s critical to implement practical innovative and creative ideas, such as the use of training armoured horse vehicle and bicycles which will accelerate the training process in redirecting horses from an athlete practising speed races, to calm horses that participate in all police work. This innovation has helped in obtaining positive results in calming the horses, by the exposure to the outside perimeter and adapting to the narrow streets, crowded places, vehicle noise and traffic congestion.
All stages of qualification and training of the directed horses, from speed and policing competitions, are carried out under the supervision of a veterinary team to provide a high quality of care to those horses, including evaluating where it tracks and verifying the health and the extent of its response to the training schedule. An integrated food program is further established in order to prevent any future illness or injuries.
The use of horses in riots and security patrols add huge value in police work at the present time in many countries of the world. The work has a fundamental and vital role in resolving riots and gatherers for different specific purposes. Examples of situations include; destruction, looting, maintaining security in festivals, public celebrations and football matches, guarding and securing public facilities, participating in festivals and official celebrations, besides maintaining security in public places and civic gatherings.
The aim of highlighting the role of horses for support in the footing group to control riots is to demonstrate the effectiveness of horses in showing general deterrence. It is by using the psychological aspect in terrorizing gatherings by taking advantage of the size of horses, and most importantly, placing horses in the lines of the foreground during coherence to reduce the percentage of losses during the collision. The speed of the horses’ movement in the operations is faster than the ability of the crowds, thus the entry of the riders gives broad coverage in wide areas.
We recommend directing and adopting the experience of retired racehorses for police work. Ongoing training will be required for these horses by using innovative ideas in police work, as they have an effective role in security tasks, thus saving huge budgets.
With thanks to Dubai Mounted Police
Suzanne Ashton, Founder of Everything Horse (Est, 2012), has a BA Hons in Marketing Management and a Diploma in Equine Science. Suzanne has ridden and owned horses all her life and has twelve years of experience in marketing, writing, design, SEO, and website creation.
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