Hold Your Horses

Story and Photos

By Kathy Lord Nicolosi

Before we get to our horse story, let’s take a stroll around our community backyard here in the Rockaways. First, there is the beautiful Atlantic Ocean which we can so easily visit to go for a swim, cool our feet, or just inhale that wonderful salt air. Many times, at Riis Park, I have seen dolphins leaping out of the water. Once, I actually heard someone yell “there she blows” and sure enough, there was a whale spouting water. In Fort Tilden, you’ll often spot rabbits, not to mention the many different varieties of birds, or a sand crab racing to find a place to hide. This is our backyard and sometimes it’s worth taking a minute to enjoy all that we have right here in The Rockaways. Which brings me to our horse story. Some of you may or may not know that there are stables and paddocks in Fort Tilden that presently house five beautiful horses: Doc, Samson, Jameson, Keegan and Trooper. These horses are part of the U.S. Park Police Horse Mounted Patrol Unit (USPP HMP Unit) Usually, between 8:30 a.m. and 3 p.m., you can see horses in the paddocks enjoying the sun, eating hay, or posing for photos.

My interest in the USPP HMP Unit was piqued when I one day spotted a few of the officers and their horses doing training exercises on the beach. As a professional photographer, I am always looking to capture an unusual visual image. Three horses training on the sand at the beach is certainly something you don’t see every day. It was really a beautiful sight, a magical moment. A few days later, I went to find those officers, to share with them the photos I had taken. The first officer I met was Sergeant Jonathan Chu. My relationship with the USPP HMP Unit had begun and the seed for this photojournalistic story was planted.

When I presented my idea to Sergeant Chu, he mentioned that it would be wonderful if more people knew about the Park Police at Fort Tilden. He arranged for me to speak with him and two other officers, Officer David Rodriquez and Officer Jonathan Diez. We all met at the stables where the officers answered questions, providing me with some information and history of the USPP HMP Unit.

Let’s start with a little history. The U.S. Park Police, although now part of the National Park Service, was established by President George Washington in 1791. The U.S. Park Police Horse Mounted Patrol Unit has been at Fort Tilden since 1978, with a move at one point to Fort Wadsworth in Staten Island, then back to Fort Tilden, which is the place the unit once again calls home. The U.S. Park Police is the oldest federal uniformed law enforcement agency in the country. Many of the horses are donated by private individuals or organizations. Donated horses all go through a vetting process as not every horse is able to meet the requirements to be a horse for the Mounted Patrol Unit. Two of the horses currently at the stables were once racehorses. One is a thoroughbred (a horse breed developed for horse racing) and the other a standardbred (an American horse breed developed for harness racing.)

Before you can apply to be a mounted officer, you need to have two years of experience as a police officer, however, you do not have to know how to ride a horse. It is sometimes preferred that you don’t know how to ride, as this way you can be trained properly for the job. The training period is 400 hours over 10 weeks.

One mounted officer is said to be equal to ten on the ground. An officer on a horse has great visibility and is also greatly visible to the public if anyone is in need of help. The job of the USPP HMP unit is primarily to protect the federal parks. They are also of service in many other capacities. A few of those are providing security at parades, the NYC Marathon, Presidential inaugurations in D.C., and giving presentations for children at various schools.

I hope this article inspires you to take a trip to Fort Tilden (actually at Beach 169th Street) to visit the horses. The paddocks are right across from the fire house. If you see an officer on a horse this summer, be sure to say hello. The officers are all incredibly friendly, love answering questions, and love having their photos taken.

“Horses can help us to connect with the natural world and the beauty that surrounds us.” – Jane Goodall

If you know of an organization or school that would like a horse presentation, you can call the Field Office at: 718-354-4700 and ask for the Horse Mounted Patrol Unit.

You can follow the U.S. Park Police Horse Mounted Patrol Unit on Instagram and Z at USParkPolicePIO or on Facebook at United States Park Police.