Harriet Flehinger sent in the photo above of police horses at the intersection of 72nd street and Broadway at noon on Wednesday, bringing to mind the great old Westerns of yesteryear: “Let’s form a posse!”
No word on what the officers were responding to, if anything.
It also brings to mind the awesome photo below of a horse-drawn “fire engine” rushing down the same block in 1910. It’s one of our favorite photos of the neighborhood.
Post by West Side Rag.
Here are the horses passing by Lincoln Center, in a photo by Denton Taylor.
Over the last few years, NYPD has had these mass deployments in the very early hours of Wednesday; for some time you could go past Lincoln Center and see 15 units roll by up front, going down Ninth.
Either it’s some kind of “show the flag” exercise or some sort of comradry through assemblage effort; however it is, Wednesday mornings seem to when the 2-0 want to get together en masse.
Mounted Unit horses require exercise so that they do not become “barn sour” by being in the stable for too long. The recent cold spell has restricted the use of the mounts and the safest way to funnel their pent up energy is to take them out in a group formation.
Interesting Steve!
I wonder why DeBlasio hasn’t made dismantling the mounted police units an administration priority like he has in dismantling the horse-drawn carriage industry. Horses… In a dirty, noisy concrete city…. In harm’s way (more so in police situations).
I think a horse presence, to underscore Susan below here, is desirable. I’d argue that it is working animals’ presence in this concrete city (along with trees and running water in public spaces) that make the city more humane and remind us of our agrarian roots. When the two meet well, it makes for a beautiful city.
May there always be a horse presence in NYC
And who cleans up after the horses? Watch out where you cross the street
Looks like a great use of taxpayer dollars.