The four-legged officers of the Dubai Mounted Police unit have been playing a multifaceted role in the emirate for over four decades. As the countdown gets underway to Expo 2020 Dubai, where the horses will have a significant role, we had a close look behind the scenes. The department was established in 1976 with seven horses, five riders and four horse groomers. Today it has more than 130 Arabian and Anglo-Arabian horses, 75 riders and 45 groomers. All of the horses are former racehorses who went through a rigorous three-month-training programme before joining the police force. Currently, the department has two stables – one in Al Aweer, that houses at least 100 horses, and the other in Al Qusais, that houses 30 horses. “As racehorses, they are trained to run fast. However, police horses need to do the opposite – stay calm, quiet and in the same position. During their training programme, we evaluate if they are able to adapt to the new requirements and we make a selection accordingly,” Brigadier Mohammed Essa Al Adhab, Director of Dubai Mounted Police said. “The horses are used for securing areas that are not easily reachable by patrol cars such as narrow lanes and beaches. Secondly, horses are good at crowd controlling, where they are required to push people from one location to another,” he added. The horses are usually sent for patrolling the streets at night or in the afternoon. The horses are also used for providing therapy to children of determination, through a rehabilitation programme. “We started a training programme six years ago with six students and today more than 48 students are enrolled in the classes,” Al Adhab said. For major events such as Expo 2020 Dubai, the horses will have a special role. “We are preparing our horses for the expo where they will have dedicated areas for patrolling and crowd control. We are also in touch with the expo organisers to showcase the Dubai police horses to the visitors.”
