Kerala mounted police to buy horses from Indian Army, govt approves Rs 51 lakh for purchase

Some of the finest horses raised at the stud farms of the Indian Army will soon arrive at the stables of the Kerala mounted police. The Home Department will purchase eight horses from the Remount Veterinary Corps (RVC) for the mounted police unit in Thiruvananthapuram. 

The government has issued sanction to purchase the horses at a cost of Rs 51.65 lakh. Horses under trained trooper ‘Ride A’ category will be brought from Delhi. The officials are finalising the logistics required in the transport of horses from the stud farm of the Indian Army. “Earlier we used to buy horses from racing clubs. However, such horses are administered with performance enhancers, which affect their health in the long run. We have an immediate need to increase the number of horses for patrolling duties,” said Thomson Jose, Commissioner of police, Thiruvananthapuram. 

The Kerala mounted police has a sanctioned strength of 25 horses. At present, the stables have 11 horses of which three have become aged and are no longer engaged for ceremonial parade and patrolling duties. “We are going for horses from the army because the horses are thoroughbred. We have a daily requirement for 14 horses. Patrolling duties are done three times; morning, evening and night,” said Anoop MA, Reserve Sub inspector, Kerala mounted police. The plan is to bring the horses by train or by road, and it will be finalised depending on various factors, said Anoop.

 The officials have been searching for finely bred horses for the past few years and a proposal was finalised to purchase the horses from the Indian Army. The state police chief sent the proposal in 2024 which was approved by the Home department. Horses of the mounted police participate in Republic day and Independence day parades, ceremonial functions and passing-out parades. 

The unit, which was initially established in Palayam, was shifted to Kannetumukku in Thiruvananthapuram in the early 1980s. In the initial years, the unit used to buy horses from the Armed forces, however later the purchase was mainly focused on racing clubs which was costlier. With the proposal being approved by the state government, a team from the Mounted police will visit the stud farms and finalise the requirements.