Meet the horses of the San Francisco Mounted Police Unit, the second oldest unit in the country.

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Most are not allowed to permanently reside in Golden Gate Park, but there are a few exceptions: Bubba, John, Nate, Rusty, Sheldon, and Sonny, just to name a few.

The horses live behind the polo field as part of a mounted police unit that has been in continuous operation in San Francisco since 1864 – only the New York unit is older.

Some San Francisco residents may wonder why we even have police on horseback. According to the unit commander Sergeant, the biggest advantage of the Mounted Police. Teresa San Giacomo – An imperious viewpoint from the saddle.

Sergeant Teresa San Giacomo walks through the stables in Golden Gate Park. | Camille Cohen/Standard

“It’s like being on top of a bridge,” San Giacomo said. “Or being 10 feet tall.”

The installed unit also serves as a metaphorical bridge, helping to spark conversations with residents, an advantage that may seem casual but has become all the more important in recent years.

“My profession is not the most popular on the planet right now,” SanGiacomo said. “But talking to a police officer is a step in the right direction.”

Horses attract admirers, and there is plenty of evidence at the stable in Golden Gate Park to back this up. The walls of the room where the saddles and ropes are stored are littered with black-and-white photographs, many of which show children. Children huddle around the horse stepping into the old Steinhart Aquarium and stroke the heads of stallions in parks and parades.

Police horse Sheldon of the Mounted Unit of the San Francisco Police Department poses for a portrait. | Camille Cohen/Standard

“Everyone loves animals,” SanGiacomo said. “I was never approached as an officer again.”

San Giacomo was inspired to continue her work at the age of 8. A San Francisco native, she saw two police officers on horseback at Pier 39 and leaned over to tell her mom, “I want to do this when I grow up.”

Her dream has come true and she now oversees a unit with a long and storied history.

The barn’s extensive photographic gallery documents the cavalry installation in detail, including images of horses with mayors, horses in the Outlands, horses up to 1870.

SFPD police horse being led into trailer | Video by Jesse Rogal

But officers on horseback were not always seen as cheerful public ambassadors.

Mounted officers tower over the crowd. Mounted police are often used to break up protests and strike fear into the hearts of dissidents. Animals are much larger, stronger and faster than any human being. They can easily crush a person and are not easy to hold onto.

“An M-80 could have blown up next to them and they wouldn’t have moved,” SanGiacomo said.

The stables display vintage photographs of the San Francisco Police Department Mounted Unit. | Camille Cohen/Standard

This is the not-so-sunny side of the Mounted Police Station, which is documented in photographs hanging along the walls next to the bathrooms, opposite the main shed space. This placement seems to be a deliberate choice. The officers in these images are pushing protesters with long clubs rather than posing and smiling at St. Patrick’s Day parades.

The images only date back to the 2003 Iraq War demonstrations – after a public outcry, San Francisco stopped using mounted police for strikes and protests, according to SanGiacomo.

Despite such a colorful past, horses are still very popular in the city. When a vote was made in the 1980s to shut down the horse-drawn unit and turn the stable into a place to recycle used motor oil, the voices of supporters were heard. SanGiacomo notes that this division is now protected by the Charter of the City of San Francisco.

“You must love to interact with the public [to serve in the mounted unit]because it’s part public relations, part police work,” said SanGiacomo.

Mounted SFPD police equipment hangs in storage at their stables in Golden Gate Park | Video by Jesse Rogal

Mounted units are not just for show, and they respond to real-life crime while gaining an advantage. Horses can get to places that motorcycles and cars can’t (as service animals, they can get anywhere in the city) while avoiding traffic, meaning they can often get there faster.

And work may look fun, but it’s hard. There is a waiting list for applying and many do not complete the training once they understand what it entails.

“It’s a completely different job,” SanGiacomo said. “Ride a horse with Mooney air brakes next to you. It’s the most physically demanding job I’ve ever had.”

It also requires learning a whole new set of skills, since knowing how to ride a horse is not a requirement to get your name on the list of interests.

“It’s hard for adults to say, ‘You’re doing this wrong,'” SanGiacomo said. “Especially the older officers. You have to be open to criticism.”

As for horses, they are also hard to find. They must meet all the necessary requirements: to be a man, the right height, good health, the right character.

“They are like therapy animals,” SanGiacomo said. “They’re all so incredibly unique.”

All horses in the San Francisco Police Department Mounted Unit have their own accessories and cleaning supplies. | Camille Cohen/Standard

Sheldon, he is known as the “closed talker”, a tawny horse who can pick up baseball caps. Then there’s Gus, known for his bad hair, similar to that of Raiders owner Mark Davis. Or take Sonny, also known for his hair, but this time in a positive way – he looks like male supermodel Fabio. Bubba asks for a treat; Duke Hambon. Bo then became a thief – breaking the law he’s supposed to represent – when he stole carrots from a woman’s bag at a farmer’s market. But most impressive is Rusty, who has been taught how to draw.

Barn cat Charlotte holds the horses of the SFPD Cavalry Company. | Camille Cohen/Standard

It’s not hard to see why horses have captured the hearts of so many San Francisco residents.

All horses can be male, but there is also a female animal. This is Charlotte, a black and white cat rescued from a camp fire.

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