The Kolkata Mounted Police, the oldest in the country, perform various duties like patrolling, regulation of traffic, controlling crowds and participating in ceremonial processions.
Established in 1840, the Kolkata Mounted Police have 68 horses and a team of inspectors, sergeants, sowars, constables, stableman and civic volunteers to look after them. During the 1858 revolt, police on horses were deployed for maintaining law and order and traffic management. They also have two stables – one at its headquarters in Kolkata with a capacity to accommodate 70 horses and another at South 24 Parganas’ Diamond Harbour which can house 32 horses.
The day starts with these horses being taken to stables and then to the paddock for their training.
The riders and constables bring the horses in groups to the paddock in Esplanade and each group exercises for 20 to 30 minutes. The workout session includes movements like walk trot, canter and jumping. Officials said that the horses are also taught special skills like how to deal with unusual footing, manoeuvring their way through crowds without stepping on people and walking in the rain.
The daily schedule of a Mounted Police horse is split between workouts, training sessions, grooming and feeding. “They eat three-four meals a day. They also drink 50-60 litres of water daily,” said officials.
When not being trained for police duties, these horses train for competing in various equestrian tournaments. Before getting its own paddock in 2006, the Mounted Police trained the horses at Royal Calcutta Turf Club ground.
At the paddock, one can see ‘Greyfinder’ in a jolly mood. As it finishes off the last jump effortlessly, his trainer rewards him with extra jaggery balls and carrots.
“These horses are fed jaggery and carrots daily as a treat after exercise. Horses are cowardly in nature. They don’t have any canine teeth or claws. So, when they feel they’re in danger, they run as fast as they can. They are also intelligent and can understand their rider, but they are also scared of sound and light,” said Subhashish Saha, who has been training horses since 2006.
A few metres away, ‘Ashoke’ basks in the glory of his champion status. A bit of an early riser, he has returned to exercise following a long rest after bagging a gold in the quadrille event at the All India Police Equestrian Championship and Mounted Police Duty Meet, officials said. Three other horses of Kolkata Mounted Police won gold medals at the championship which was held at Hyderabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy in January.
The trainers at the paddock also remember ‘Voice of Reason’, a Mounted Police horse who died allegedly after a round of celebratory fireworks during a cricket World Cup match at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on November 5 last year. The stallion was on duty with his handler when the fireworks were set off.
“Despite efforts to calm him down, he died soon after being brought back to the stable. In the process of controlling the situation, I also got injured,” said a Mounted Police official who was on duty on the night of the incident.
After the strenuous workout, the horses head to a yard for a sand bath to relax their muscles. “A sand bath relaxes horses because the sand has the same function as a peeling,” said an official. After a sand bath, they are given water to drink, a hand massage and a grooming session.
“Even the most stoic horses can get agitated when they are uncomfortable. We start the massage with light movements and gradually apply more pressure while continuously monitoring the horse,” said a massager of Kolkata mounted police.
According to Kolkata Mounted Police veterinarian Dr Surojit Basu, these horses need exercise and ready access to a paddock.
“Restricting them to the stable, can trigger problems like colic and laminitis. Feeding, watering, grooming, cleaning the stables and light exercise are essential for the horses’ well-being,” he added.
Most of the horses are half-bred, thoroughbred or from Marwari and Kathiawari breeds. They are usually sourced from the army and sometimes stud farms and Royal Calcutta Turf Club donate them to the police. The race horses are trained first for a few months and then assigned duties.
“The best part about riding these horses is that you are about 6 feet above the ground and can see the entire crowd. These horses can move in narrow lanes and it is easier to control the crowd as horses have a pacifying effect on large crowds,” said a rider.
“We are proud of our team. These horses are trained and made to practise sports as well. The Mounted Police escorts VIPs, assigned duties at racecourse, matches, crowd control and now they are winning gold in events,” said Abhra Chatterjee, OC, Kolkata Mounted Police.