Sacramento soon may get something it hasn't seen in decades -- new water troughs and hitching posts. And folks, that ain't nothin' to snort at. Especially if you're a police horse on your appointed rounds. Seventy to 80 years after falling out of use, horse-friendly street hardware may make its way into alleys that are being developed as part of a new "alley activation" effort. A trough and a post, paid for through private funding, will be added first to one of two pilot alleys under develop... Suzanne Suzanne Hurt 2009-11-11T19:08:47Z 2009-11-11T19:08:47Z

Thanks for the questions. Officers clean up after their horses if the animals poop anywhere in Old Sacramento or any place where pedestrians may walk in other areas.  I'll look into these while I'm working on a followup story.

Suzanne Hurt 2009-11-11T19:08:47Z Candace Taylor 2009-11-11T18:46:44Z 2009-11-11T18:46:44Z

The major issue is that as prey animals, horses will spook, bolt, buck, get scared of things they don't understand and take "flight"--sometimes. As a lifelong horse owner (6 right now) I know first-hand that no horse on earth is "bomb proof" and getting dumped on concrete really hurts! But, if riding a 1,200 pd. animal around town really helps our officers, then I applaud the continued use of equines in law enforcement. Oh, and remember to always wear your helmets, vests, boots and gloves while riding.

Candace Taylor 2009-11-11T18:46:44Z Jim Knapp 2009-11-10T19:16:17Z 2009-11-10T19:16:17Z

This is the stupidest thing I've heard this week... What is wrong with bikes?

Jim Knapp 2009-11-10T19:16:17Z William Burg 2009-11-10T00:43:07Z 2009-11-10T00:43:07Z

Is there a plan to address the inevitable issue of, shall we say, "horse exhaust"?

William Burg 2009-11-10T00:43:07Z Dale Kooyman 2009-11-09T20:56:31Z 2009-11-09T20:56:31Z

This sounds really neat. I grew up with parents who were horse owners, so I can see there are some questions that have not been answered. Will the following be considered? How large would the troughs be? Would water sit in them over night or emptied daily to avoid creating a breeding spot for West Nile Virus? Would the troughs be refilled every morning? Would they be filled only when the horse needs to be watered? Would the officers do that? Do officers now carry scoops for the horse droppings and where do they deposit it? In view of the tremendous amount of litter around bars, clubs, coffee houses, etc. would the water or empty trough get contaminated from people throwing various kinds of litter including jokesters emptying beer cans in the water or empty trough? Or use them as urinals? Who will clean out the leaves and debris from trees, etc.? Where will they dump it? How will the troughs affect or restrict alley passage ways? There may be other questions. I don't ask these questions in opposition but to make sure that these points are considered.

Dale Kooyman 2009-11-09T20:56:31Z