A police-horse history
1758: London's Bow Street Horse Patrol becomes first recorded mounted police force.
1800-1850: Mounted police units are founded in cities like Dublin, Ireland, and Calcutta, India.
1870: Boston Police Department hires one mounted officer. (It adds 27 mounted officers a year later.)
1871: New York City Police Department creates a mounted police unit.
1873: North West Mounted Rifles are founded in Canada. They will go on to become the renowned Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
1950s: Mounted police become commonplace at Boston's public events and begin patrolling the city's parks and recreation areas.
1970s: Mounted police are successfully used to control crowds and rioting during Boston's school busing crisis.
1980s: After budget cuts, the mounted unit is decreased from 100 to its present total of 16.
(c) Copyright 2000. The Christian Science Publishing Society
