Meet Police Horse 98 Thomson (PH Thomson) who was formerly known as Trainee Police Horse Andy. I am honoured that he was given my name following my retirement as the Chair of the City of London Police authority.
Andy passed out on 1 July 2024 having completed successfully the very tough training to become an operational police horse.
PH Thomson is a 14-year-old Clydesdale, and received his police name in a mounted policing tradition following training and passing out.
PH Thomson has a loyal following and is often to be seen patrolling the City of London and often elsewhere in Central London. The City of London Mounted Unit can be followed on social media: Twitter/X: @CityHorses.
His passing out parade was featured in Horse and Hound and extracts from the article are featured below:
A spokesperson for the police told H&H PH Thomson was at an equestrian centre in Penrith that closed, after which he was turned away. He arrived at the mounted branch last February and has since undergone a full training programme including troop drill and practice in “challenging environments”.
The picture below shows Andy when he was spotted by the City Police Stable Manager who, despite his condition, could see his potential and in doing so has given him a new lease of life.
“Andy has made great progress, is now in the peak of health and has just completed his training and is a fully fledged police horse,” the spokesperson said.
“He is a very gentle horse who adores a scratch and will pull some wonderful expressions to signify when you have got just the right spot.”
The spokesperson added that PH Thomson is unique in police horses as he has retained his feather – and that this has already won him many fans.
“They look majestic but require much maintenance and pampering,” she said. “They have been retained due to his previous life and common conditions associated with Clydesdales.
“The feathers are very popular with the public and have earned him a huge following on our mounted branch X account, @CityHorses, with #followthefeathers.”
