Police Greys (The Mounted Unit ): Keith joins the mounted police for a day in the Adelaide City region of South Australia

They're a familiar and very welcome sight at our 'big ticket' occasions. For decades, the beloved Police Greys have led parades like the Credit Union Christmas Pageant and ANZAC Day. At other times you might see them on patrol around the city, the parkland and into the suburbs.

The Police Greys operate from the Thebarton Police Barracks - and what a life - they are doted on and rightly so - after all they are fully-fledged members of the force. But they don't 'live the life of Riley' all the time - like their riders, they work for a living undergoing years of carefully planned training.

Snr Cont Kelly Taylor-Wilson: "On a normal day at the Police Barracks members are allocated about three or four horses to work. They'll bring them out to the sand menage and work them from anywhere between 20 minutes to an hour at a time depending on the horses they're given for that day."

The Mounted Unit has about 50 horses in all - about half of them in work at the barracks - the other half spelling at SAPOL's agistment centre at Bolivar - they get annual leave too. At the height on the mounted police era in the 1920s there were more than 250 horses in service - not to mention 50 or so camels in far northern centres like Oodnadatta.

They reckon a good horse and rider is the equivalent to 10 police on foot. Obviously the horses are carefully screened - a minimum of 16 hands high and a temperament able to deal with cheering crowds, countless patting at public events like the Royal Show to the sometimes hurly burly of public order. And of course, they have to be grey. After a good work out it's time for a wash down and some well-earned breakfast in the stables the Mounted Unit has occupied since 1917.

Snr Cont Kelly Taylor-Wilson: "The most common question we get asked is why are all our horses grey? The answer goes back to World War One. When the Light Horsemen went overseas to fight in battle they needed the darker coloured horses to blend in like the bays, the browns and the chestnuts. So they left the greys at home and we ended up with a surplus here in South Australia. The Mounted Operations Unit members like greys for exactly the opposite reason - we want high visibility, we want to be easily seen out there on the roads with all the traffic and so stemmed the tradition that is carried on til today."

The horses are in modern looses boxes today but at one end of the Barracks you can see some of the original open stalls. And up on the wall a list of police horses through the years.

General patrols, crowd control, search and rescue to ceremonial duties - the Police Greys have a special place in South Australia's history. And a police horse's lot can be a happy one. At the age of 22, Festival is the oldest and is semi-retired but there's a good chance you'll see her at the Pageant.

Keep an eye out for the Police Greys at the head of the Credit Union Christmas Pageant each year. And if you want to look around the barracks keep an eye out for their Open Days - they are well advertised. If you have any further questions please email info@postcards-sa.com.au

Published 1st Nov 2009