Horses join Cup celebration

especially the trot.

Draft horses are much bigger and heavier than quarter horses, Arabians and other breeds generally used for riding. Henry weighs 2,300 pounds, while riding horses generally range from 800-1,200 pounds.

Allegheny County Police Superintendent Coleman McDonough said there are 13 officers and 11 horses in the mounted unit.

“They are donated to us, traditionally,including standardbreds and thoroughbreds” from race tracks. They live in the Round Barn at the fairgrounds in South Park.

When the 90-minute victory parade ended, the day was not done for the horses. They stood at attention in a straight line with the state horses. They followed the players’ bus, then turned left and were ridden, single file, in the bicycle lane across the Roberto Clemente Bridge, which slowed motorists. Pedestrians stopped to watch the unusual sight. Their trailer was waiting for them on West General Robinson Street, two blocks past PNC Park.

Livy, Henry, Milo, Brando and the other Allegheny County horses make many public appearances in Pittsburgh, including LightUp Night, First Night, the Regatta and Kenny Chesney concerts, Sgt. McClellan said. The horses and officers also do meet-and-greets at school, where a Tennessee walker named Ginger “is the star.”

The mounted unit does crowd control, and six horses went to the Stanley Cup celebration on the South Side last Sunday, Sgt. McClellan said. The crowd was well-behaved, and some asked to pet the horses.

Allegheny County is looking for a few good horses to be donated because five horses are retiring later this year. Good homes have been found for all of them, including two going back to the people who donated them. One is going to the county’s Round Hill Farm.

Police are looking for horses that are big, sound and quiet. Geldings — neutered males — are preferred. Send email to Christopher.Swanson@alleghenycounty. for more information. HORSES, FROM D-3