Hold your horses: Seattle Police decommissions its mounted patrol unit

The Seattle Police Department says it’s decommissioning its mounted patrol unit.

The process will take place over the next few months.

The department says a lack of resources has forced them to downsize over the last decade.

Generous donations from individuals and organizations have kept the remainder of the unit afloat.

In 2010, budget shortfalls put the future of the unit in jeopardy, but the Seattle Police Foundation launched an intensive fundraising campaign called “Save our Horses” to help preserve it.

Over the years, mounted patrol officers have helped with crowd control, they’ve patrolled city parks and attended community events, ceremonies, and memorial services.

The Seattle Police Department says it will work to find a ‘compassionate and meaningful transition’ for each of the animals.

“We hope that some of them might be used to serve the community in other ways, such as therapy horses,” a news release from the department says.

Former owners of the donated horses will be allowed to take back ownership.

According to the Seattle Police Foundation, horses have been a part of the department for almost 150 years.

In the 1880s, they were used to patrol remote areas of the city but were phased out during the Longshoreman’s strike of 1934.

In 1972, the mounted patrol unit was reformed.