Mounted Police - US Border Patrol

US Border Patrol

The United States Border Patrol had 200 horses in 2005. Most of these are employed along the U.S.-Mexico border. In Arizona, these animals are fed special processed feed pellets so that their wastes do not spread non-native plants in the national parks and wildlife areas they patrol. The Houston, Texas Police Department's Mounted Patrol Unit has become increasingly well known due to the decision to, over time, remove the shoes of all its mounted horses and embrace the concept of naturalizing their horses' diet and care in addition to riding them barefoot.