The Garda Mounted Support Unit is the horseback mounted division

Mounted police

Mounted police are police who patrol on horseback or camelback. They continue to serve in remote areas and in metropolitan areas where their day-to-day function may be picturesque or ceremonial, but they are also employed in crowd control because of their mobile mass and height advantage and...

 of An Garda Síochána.

It is part of the Operational Support Unit which provides specialist support to Gardaí nationwide. The Operational Support Unit also includes the Water Support

Garda Water Unit

The Garda Water Unit is a unit of the Garda Síochána, the police service of Ireland. Formerly known as the Garda Sub-Aqua Unit, the name was changed to incorporate the services of the non-diving surfaced based marine section....

, Dog Support

Garda Dog Unit

The Garda Dog Unit is a unit of an Garda Síochána, the police force of Ireland.It is part of the Operational Support Unit which provides specialist support to Gardaí nationwide...

 and Air Support

Garda Air Support Unit

The Garda Air Support Unit is a unit of An Garda Síochána which was formed in 1997. The GASU is part of the Operational Support Unit which provides specialist support to Gardaí nationwide...

 units.

History and Formation

Historically, the predecessor to the Garda Mounted unit was the Dublin Horse Police which was part of the Dublin Metropolitan Police

Dublin Metropolitan Police

The Dublin Metropolitan Police was the police force of Dublin, Ireland, from 1836 to 1925, when it amalgamated into the new Garda Síochána.-19th century:...

. This was disbanded in 1913 due to a lack of suitable horses for military requirements in Britain. The Garda Mounted Unit was formed in 1998 when the North Yorkshire Police

North Yorkshire Police

North Yorkshire Police is the territorial police force covering the non-metropolitan county of North Yorkshire and the unitary authority of York in northern England. The force covers England's largest county and comprises three area command units...

 disbanded its mounted unit allowing the Gardaí to acquire its horses and equipment. It became operational on the 17 May that year.

Current Operation

The unit has its base in the Phoenix Park

Phoenix Park

Phoenix Park is an urban park in Dublin, Ireland, lying 2–4 km west of the city centre, north of the River Liffey. Its 16 km perimeter wall encloses , one of the largest walled city parks in Europe. It includes large areas of grassland and tree-lined avenues, and since the seventeenth...

 with stables at Áras an Uachtaráin

Áras an Uachtaráin

Áras an Uachtaráin , formerly the Viceregal Lodge, is the official residence of the President of Ireland. It is located in the Phoenix Park on the northside of Dublin.-Origins:...

 and not at the Garda Headquarters. The Unit has a strength of Two Sergeants and Sixteen Gardaí with eleven horses with plans for expansion to fifteen horses. The Irish Draught

Irish Draught

The Irish Draught horse is the national horse breed of Ireland which developed primarily for farm use. Today, they are especially popular for crossing with Thoroughbreds and warmbloods, producing the popular Irish Sport Horses which excel at the highest levels of eventing and show jumping.-...

 Horse is the preferred breed for the Mounted Unit.

Functions

The Units general duties are high visibility crime prevention and include:-

• Community Policing.
• Event Policing.
• Support to mainstream Garda operations.
• Crowd Control & Public Order.
• Searches for Missing Persons in inaccessible Areas.

Operations

The Garda Mounted Unit typically attends at large public gatherings such as sporting occasions and concerts as well as other events such as the Ballinasloe Horse Fair

Ballinasloe Horse Fair

The Ballinasloe Horse Fair is a horse fair which is held annually at Ballinasloe, the second largest town in County Galway, in the western part of Ireland. It is one of Europe's oldest and largest Horse Fairs, dating back to the 1700s. This annual event attracts up to 100,000 visitors from all...

, the Dublin Horse Show at the RDS

RDS

RDS may refer to:*Amazon Relational Database Service, Amazon's cloud-based Relational Database Service*Radio Data System*Radio Dimensione Suono, an Italian radio station*Random dot stereogram, a form of 3-D image*SAP Rapid Deployment Solutions, from SAP AG...

 and National Ploughing Championships

National Ploughing Championships

The Irish National Ploughing Championships take place each year in the month of September. The 2012 Championships will be held at Heathpark, New Ross, Co. Wexford. The first inter- county ploughing contest took place in 1931 as a result of an argument between two lifelong friends, Denis Allen of...

. It also attends the Dublin St Patricks Day parade and other State Occasions on a ceremonial basis. The Mounted Unit also attended the 2009 All-Ireland Hurling Final

All-Ireland Hurling Final

The All-Ireland Hurling Final is the last match to be played in the All-Ireland Hurling Championships . The All-Ireland Senior Hurling Final is one of the biggest sporting occasions to be held in Ireland every year...