San Francisco Police Horses Honored For Service

A beloved San Francisco Police Mounted Unit Quarter Horse hung up his horseshoe on Monday, in a retirement ceremony fit for, well, a horse.

Police chief Greg Suhr, the Union Square Merchants and the public held a breakfast horseshoe hanging ceremony at Lefty O'Doul's on Geary Boulevard, where they  thanked "Rebel" for his two years of service pounding the pavement in an effort to keep the city safe.

Rebel was one of five horses honored at the annual ceremony.

Suhr personally fed Rebel, a 14-year-old Quarter Horse, a breakfast bucket of carrots and apples. Rebel joined the SFPD in 2011 and will spend his remaining years on a bucolic 40 acres pasture in an undisclosed Sonoma County location.

Rebel's colleague, Hammer, retired earlier and is awaiting his buddy at the same Sonoma retirement ranch.

Two new rookie horses were also welcomed to the 141-year-old mounted unit: Quin, a 9-year-old Quarter Horse, and Strider, and 8-year-old Percheron/Morgan, at the annual horseshoe hanging ceremony.

Also, the unit's horse - Magnum - was honored posthumously. He was injured in the line of duty six months ago, and died at UC Davis Vet Hospital.
 

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