HOUSTON – The HPD mounted patrol is the second largest in the nation, next to New York City. It consists of 38 horses and 31 officers who patrol downtown Houston and Hermann Park.
A couple of these ponies used to be named for specific Texans’ players but these days, that doesn`t mesh with the ‘team’ philosophy.
Instead, three other horses are sponsored by Texans` owner Bob McNair.
Officer Ronald Curry with the HPD Mounted Patrol says, “Our daily patrols consist of everything that the regular officers do downtown- we answer calls for service, we write citations, we chase cars, we chase people- except, we do it off the horses.”
Damian Herrejon with the HPD Mounted Patrol adds, “On patrol you don`t get that interaction with people like you normally would. On a horse people want to come up to you, they want to take pictures with you, they want to know about the horse.”
Gregory Sokoloski with the HPD Mounted Patrol says, “You don`t look at it as a job. You`re very, very privileged to be a policeman and be able to ride a horse.”
