Safety first for GMP’s Mounted Unit

Greater Manchester Police’s Mounted Unit

Greater Manchester Police’s Mounted Unit has become the first force in the country to take The British Horse Society’s ‘Ride Safe’ award.

Leading by example the team want to highlight to riders of all ages and abilities the importance of learning how to protect themselves when riding.

The award, run by The British Horse Society (BHS), delivers the skills and knowledge to ride safely in all environments, including on the road.

The charity’s ‘Dead Slow’ campaign, seeks to educate drivers on how to safely pass horses on the road. The BHS launched the campaign in response to the alarming number of incidents involving horses on the roads.

Since 2010, more than 2,900 road incidents involving horses across the UK have been reported to The British Horse Society. Of these, 39 riders and carriage drivers and 230 horses have died as a result of road incidents.

In 2014 two GMP Officers and horses were involved in a serious incident whilst patrolling the streets of Manchester. A vehicle collided with one of the horse’s back legs causing him to fall on the bonnet of the car and smash through the windscreen.

The horse, Steele was then flung forward 10 feet falling onto his side. Thankfully, both the officers and horses survived the incident.

Chief Inspector Tariq Butt from GMP’s Roads Policing & Mounted Unit Said, “GMP is proud and delighted to be the first force in the country to participate in The British Horse Society’s ‘Ride Safe’ Award. Animal and rider welfare and safety is paramount and we encourage all road users across Greater Manchester to share the road responsibly and to be considerate of others.”

BHS Director of Safety, Alan Hiscox said: “We want to not only educate drivers on how to safely pass horses on the road, but we also want riders to have the skills and knowledge to protect themselves. We’re thrilled that GMP Mounted Police are the first force to take our Ride Safe Award, and hope that through the award and our Dead Slow campaign, we can save horses and riders lives.”.