SAN JOSE POLICE MOUNTED UNIT
 TACK AND EQUIPMENT

 
OFFICERS UNIFORM

     The San Jose Police Mounted Unit Officers duty uniform is essentially the same as the other uniformed officers that serve the City of San Jose, with respect to color and insignias.  Because the Mounted Unit assignment requires the officers to ride a horse, some changes had to be made for the comfort and safety of the riders while maintaining a professional looking image.  The “Smoky the Bear Hat” was chosen to protect the officers while riding during day light hours.   A felt hat was selected for formal events the unit participated in, while a straw hat was selected for everyday patrol.  The “crossed sabers” attached to the duty shirts collar and blue and yellow piping on the uniforms pants legs signifies the officer is assigned to the mounted unit and refers back, while giving respect to our nations’ cavalry days.  An English style riding boot was selected to protect the riders lower leg and foot while still maintaining a professional appearance.  An English style “hammer head blunt” spur was selected, as it is considered one of the more humane types of spurs. 

SADDLE-BITS-BRIDLES

      In 1986, when the San Jose Police Mounted Unit began its full time assignment nothing could have been more important than the selection of the duty saddle.  The comfort of the horse and the security of the rider was of the utmost of importance.  The first saddles chosen were of the western style and designed by former San Jose Police Officer and Mounted Unit Trainer Don Criswell, thus the saddles were named the “Criswell Police Saddle”.  Four of these saddles remain with the unit and are only used for the  Grand National Color Guard Completion.  Although, these were extremely well built efficient saddles, everyday use and the changing conformation of horses required the unit to change saddle style.  The “Criswell Police Saddle” was based on a roper style saddle, which is heavy by design and saddles are similar to shoes, in other words, one size does not fit all.  With the change in horse breeds and the conformation of horses a “Crates Endurance style saddle” was selected for the mounted unit.  This saddle was a lot lighter for the horse to carry along with all the attached saddle bags and equipment the officer must have at their disposal for everyday patrol.  A third generation of saddles was brought into the mounted unit, a “western trail type saddle”, also of light weight to reduce the load for the horse to carry, while maintaining the comfort of the horse and security of the rider.  Currently the riders elect to choose between the two saddles depending upon their assigned mounts conformation.  Naturally, all of the saddles are black in color, consistent with maintaining a professional appearance.  Underneath the saddle, and above the saddle pad is a leather corona, with a law enforcement star pattern.  The corona is decorative in nature and covers the saddle pad.  The saddle pad is similar in nature to a pillow that provides comfort for the horse under the saddle so that the attachments of the saddle and saddle tree do not pinch the horses’ withers or put undue pressure along the horses’ back and evenly displaces the weight of the saddle along the horses’ back.

BITS

      The bit provides principle means of communication with the horse and helps to encourage the correct head position.

      Bit selection is generally dictated upon the needs of the mount, within its level of training and comfort.  Considering the mounted officers are trained to ride with an “English or Military” seat, a short-shanked broken Pelham style bit, with a curb attachment is the normal style duty bit.  This style of bit not only displays the high level of training the officer has graduated to, (“soft hands”) but the level of training the officer has put into the training of their assigned mount.  During training exercises, the officers have at their disposal “snaffle bits”.  These bits are used for re-training of their assigned mounts and also for use in the academy for new officer-recruits, along with the newest of prospective police mounts.  When it comes to bit selection for a particular horse, riding a horse is like riding a bicycle, the legs make them go and the hands make them stop.  In others words, your legs on a bicycle turn the pedals on a bike to make it move and the brakes on the handlebars are like the bit in the horses mouth, a direct communication to make him stop. 

BRIDLE

      Currently, the texture of the San Jose Police Mounted Unit bridle is black leather.  It is a halter-bridle combination, which allows the rider to attach the lead rope when they are afoot and not have contact with the bit in the horses mouth, in the event something distresses the horse causing them to pull back from what they are tied.  Each individual piece has a function specifically designed for its function.  The main purpose is to comfortably provide proper bit placement within the horse’s mouth, so the rider has direct communication from their hands via the reins to the horse’s mouth.  Assisting in keeping the bridle together are the highly polished silver star “conchos” with San Jose Police Mounted Unit engraved upon them. 

SADDLE BAGS-HORSE MOUNTED BATON

      The patrol officer has the luxury of a car to store all the necessary equipment they need to perform their duties.  The mounted officer has to rely on the little room their saddle bags can contain.  A well trained San Jose Police Mounted Officer strives to reduce the amount of weight his mount will carry.  Needless to say, there is the ever popular ticket book that most citizens would prefer not to see.  There are all the necessary police reports that every officer must have to write upon the events they become involved in.  There is also contained within the saddle bags a piece of equipment that only a highly trained San Jose Police Mounted Unit Officer carries that no other patrol officer will possess, and this is the official San Jose Police Mounted Unit Pooper Scooper, along with the proper plastic bags to dispose of the refuge within to the nearest trash depositatory.  Experience has shown that if you feed the mount at one end, it will compost to the opposite end and no experienced San Jose Police Mounted Officer will leave an unsightly mess upon the city they serve.  The most prominent piece of equipment that each mount carries upon its’ saddle is something that resembles a sword, although, modern mounted policing does not require the need of a cavalry saber, it is that of the horse mounted baton.  It does in fact appear to be a marital arts piece of equipment, for all intensive purposes it is called the mounted unit horse baton.  Standard issue for patrol officers may be the 26” baton, but for the mounted officer, the horse mounted baton is the defensive piece of assigned equipment.  For those officers with short arms, it becomes the most effective piece of equipment to scratch behind the horses ears when they have an untimely itch.