Paper short abstract:

Horses used by police to patrol cities and control situations of unrest face stressful conditions, raising concerns for their welfare. A view behind the public image of a mounted police unit suggests a blurring of boundaries between horse and human, leading to interdependent agency and collaboration.

Paper long abstract:

Mounted police patrol the streets within eleven cities in the United Kingdom, the formality of the police horses' presentation under the uniformed officers conveying a militaristic image of authoritarian control. As tools of social control, like the war horses used in armed combat, these horses experience sights, sounds and smells which in a predator-fearing species would naturally lead to fear and flight. Their exposure to such conditions raises concerns about possible stress amongst these nonhuman animals.

This paper presents research within a mounted police force in an English city, to consider the incidence of stress amongst the police horses. The opportunity to 'go behind the scenes' as well as observe the police horses at work has led to a revised view of the horses' experience, and appreciation of the balanced, inter-subjective relationship between the horses and humans. In both routine policing and situations of public disorder, the boundaries between human and nonhuman animal are blurred. On routine patrols within the city, the horse acts as mediator between the police and the public, bridging an often fractured relationship. In describing their experience of policing situations of public disorder, the officers reflect an embodied relationship with their horses, recognising the shared communication with each horse as an individual and their responsibility to be part of that relationship. The selection and training of both horse and officer promotes a mutual confidence and shared agency in jointly managing the challenges of policing.