Police Service Horse Gladius graduation and badge ceremony

Today, Police Service Horse (PSH) Gladius will be presented with a badge in a ceremony that honours Canadian peacekeepers in the Golan Heights, the latest stage of Canada’s long-standing peacekeeping role in the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF).

The Calgary Police Service has a deep connection to our veterans, and as a way to honour their service, in 2016, the CPS Mounted Unit began naming each new PSH after battles fought by Canadian soldiers, or peacekeeping missions. Currently, the Mounted Unit consists of five operational horses including Dieppe, Normandy, Anzio, Kapyong and the most recent addition, Gladius. 

PSH Gladius is a five-year-old thoroughbred Percheron Clydesdale cross from the central Alberta village of Andrew, who has become a confident and eager member of our Mounted Unit. He stands at 17.2 hands-high, making him the tallest horse in the herd. 

Gladius has already participated in a variety of deployments, including downtown and CTrain patrols, crowd management and public relations events.

Gladius will continue to be an asset to our Mounted Unit for years to come as we focus on the crime management needs of our city.

The CPS Mounted Unit was first formed in 1910 and ran until approximately 1939 when the Second World War began. The Mounted Unit, as it exists today, was re-formed in 1979. In addition to the traditional ceremonial duties, our Mounted Unit has evolved significantly to meet the crime management needs of our city.

Today, members of the Mounted Unit are instrumental in searching remote areas that are difficult to access by foot or vehicle, including parks, pathways and riverbanks, to locate missing persons, offenders evading police and evidence that may have been discarded.

Due to their tall stature, officers on horseback can also provide a unique perspective for our investigators and are used daily in patrols of residential and commercial areas, as well as in crowd management situations.