Baltimore Police Mounted Unit Celebrates 125th Anniversary

When members of the Baltimore Police Department’s mounted unit patrol the infield at Pimlico Race Course during Preakness Saturday, it will be one of the unit’s most high-visibility uses during the celebration of its 125th year in existence.

The mounted unit, which was established in 1888, is the oldest continuously operated mounted unit in the country, and is primarily used for crowd control during events such as the Ravens Super Bowl Parade, Preakness and downtown on Friday nights. Lt. Milton Corbett, the unit’s commander, said a horse has the same effect as 10 to 15 officers in a crowd control situation.

"It’s like the parting of the sea [when the horses are in a crowd]. The horses aren’t there to do harm but they can intimidate," Corbett said.

In 2009 the city nearly had to disband the unit because of budget issues, and it has been kept operating in large part from donations to the Baltimore Police Foundation Fund, and Corbett said they are always looking for people to contribute.

"We’ve had our ups and downs," he said.

Officer Arturo Garvin, who has been with the mounted unit for two years, and his horse Buster, showed members of the news media around the department’s stalls in the Penn-Fallsway neighborhood on Tuesday.

Garvin said the unit’s role goes beyond just crowd control too serving as ambassadors for the entire Baltimore Police Department.

"[Residents] love to see out here, especially kids. Some kids have never seen a horse before," Garvin said.