Mounted
police equipment is specially designed to aid police officers that are
mounted on a horse. A mounted police officer has added visibility and
is often used for crowd control or general patrols in natural areas
such as Central Park in New York City, which has limited road access.
Mounted police require special equipment to ride and maintain their
vehicle and partner, their horse.
Mounted police equipment is a combination of traditional police gear,
and horse-care equipment. The riding saddle is basically the same, but
often the foot pegs will be slightly modified to easily dismount the
horse. Often the saddle will include modified saddle bags designed to
carry the items police generally carry, such as pepper spray, flashlights,
or traffic directing tools. Extra food and water is necessary for mounted
patrols as well.
The main differences from mounted police equipment and regular police
gear is the fact that it is mostly designed for the horse, riding boots,
a different style of helmet, and a specialized gun holster are the only
different parts the human officer dons. Night safety equipment is necessary
for mounted patrols as well, and many different lights that a horse
can wear are available.