# They don't have horses in Detroit? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 30, 2012, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-dont-have-horses-in-detroit/642586 "2012-11-30T17:35:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2012, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-dont-have-horses-in-detroit/642586/21 "2012-11-30T22:26:48Z")
> [@cher3](#): > > There’s a whole lot of corn growing much closer to Chicago than that. Yeah I know, we just never really left the city or close in burbs so we never saw it. ---
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2012, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-dont-have-horses-in-detroit/642586/22 "2012-11-30T22:28:27Z")
> [@hogarth](#): > > I’m always stunned that there are places in the world (like Australia or Japan) where squirrels are considered exotic. What about Spain? ---
**Author:** ![Enkel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/df705f/32.png) [@Enkel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enkel)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2012, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-dont-have-horses-in-detroit/642586/23 "2012-11-30T22:39:09Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > When I was a child of perhaps six my teenaged cousins from Philadelphia came down here and we took them to the family reunion. I will never forget how every goddamned five minutes they’d be all “LOOK, ZSOFIA! COWS!” Like, are they six legged cows? Are they talking cows? No, they’re JUST COWS. Best one that I’ve seen… adult friend comes to farm and we spend some time with the chickens… I hold a hen and she can really look at it up close, pet it… look at it… we talk about them laying eggs, etc, etc. Then I offer her a couple dozen eggs to take home. Farm fresh eggs… just laid in the last week… She refuses because she’s suddenly aware of where they “come from.” Yes folks, there are no special egg chutes on chickens… the eggs come from the same hole as the chicken crap does! Better yet, she insists that she likes store bought eggs better than the fresh eggs (that she’s never tasted). So, I left her with the fact that store bought eggs also come out of chicken pooper chutes. I think it took her six months to finally eat an egg again, but she still psychologically believes that brown eggs are brown because they’ve been smeared with… well, you know. ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2012, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-dont-have-horses-in-detroit/642586/24 "2012-11-30T22:53:30Z")
There are mounted police in Washington DC (US Park Police who have jurisdiction over the National Mall and other Federal Parks in the city. Part of Occupy DC was [raided](http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/occupy-dc-camp-raided-by-police/2012/02/04/gIQAwDoCpQ_story.html) by a team of mounted police this year. Also, the Mid-Atlantic states have a fair number of Old Order Amish and Mennonite communities that use horses and buggies, including in Lancaster County, PA, Rockingham County, VA, and several areas in Indiana and Ohio and even further west. ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2012, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-dont-have-horses-in-detroit/642586/25 "2012-12-01T00:42:05Z")
> [@enkel](#): > > so, i left her with the fact that store bought eggs also come out of chicken pooper chutes. I think it took her six months to finally eat an egg again, but she still psychologically believes that brown eggs are brown because they’ve been smeared with… Well, you know. Chocolate?? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Idle\_Thoughts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/838e76/32.png) [@Idle\_Thoughts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idle_Thoughts)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2012, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-dont-have-horses-in-detroit/642586/26 "2012-12-01T03:14:48Z")
Fixed your coding, **Robert.** ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2012, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-dont-have-horses-in-detroit/642586/27 "2012-12-01T03:25:41Z")
How common are other types of horses in big cities elsewhere? In Dublin it’s not unusual to see tourist horse and traps, lads on sulkies, and in some areas (although this is less common than in years gone by) horses grazing in housing estate greens. In areas like the Phoenix Park you’ll see plenty of well-heeled equestrian types too. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2012, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-dont-have-horses-in-detroit/642586/28 "2012-12-01T03:28:50Z")
I always enjoy it when folks from the big city come to the Midwest and discover that we don’t have corn fields and hogs in our back yards, and that we DO have traffic jams. When my sister came back here for a visit (for the fist time in years) she was shocked that our buildings use so much brick. Apparently they don’t do that so much in southern California. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2012, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-dont-have-horses-in-detroit/642586/29 "2012-12-01T03:29:26Z")
They do, however, have a lot of horsepower in Detroit. ---
**Author:** ![kittenblue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ba8739/32.png) [@kittenblue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kittenblue)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2012, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-dont-have-horses-in-detroit/642586/30 "2012-12-01T03:37:54Z")
Well, in downtown Clevleand you’ll see mounted police and the occasional horse-drawn carriage, but that’s about it. You have to get pretty far out in the suburbs to see actual horses in yards (well, okay, not THAT far, but they are few and far between). But it has been at least 30 years since anyone around here has ridden their horse along the suburban streets as a mode of transport, and that time the horse got spooked and threw my friend’s sister. But there are boarding stables and bridle trails less than five miles from my house. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2012, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-dont-have-horses-in-detroit/642586/31 "2012-12-01T04:05:47Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > They do, however, have a lot of horsepower in Detroit. _taps on mic…_“Hello? Hello? This thing on??” ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2012, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-dont-have-horses-in-detroit/642586/32 "2012-12-01T04:51:21Z")
NYPD Mounted unit is AFAIK the largest (and dare I say it, [best dressed](http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_CwSYMd9KuCE/TLg1P_DXjBI/AAAAAAAAKBQ/7NAa1VmyN00/s1600/DSC_2414.JPG)) mounted unit in the US with more than 100 officers. for comparison, Detroit has 7 officers in its Mounted Unit. And since the NYPD mounted officers are concentrated in the busiest areas of Manhattan in their day to day patrols, you tend to see them more than in other cities as well. ---
**Author:** ![tonyfop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/85f322/32.png) [@tonyfop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tonyfop)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2012, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-dont-have-horses-in-detroit/642586/33 "2012-12-01T04:58:27Z")
> [@Hello\_Again](#): > > NYPD Mounted unit is AFAIK the largest (and dare I say it, [best dressed](http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_CwSYMd9KuCE/TLg1P_DXjBI/AAAAAAAAKBQ/7NAa1VmyN00/s1600/DSC_2414.JPG)) mounted unit in the US with more than 100 officers. for comparison, Detroit has 7 officers in its Mounted Unit. And since the NYPD mounted officers are concentrated in the busiest areas of Manhattan in their day to day patrols, you tend to see them more than in other cities as well. Ah, but this is not an NYPD mounted unit, it is Nassau County, on Long Island. I practically grew up in Roosevelt Field (before they added the second floor), and I don’t think I ever saw a Mounted cop there. Especially this time of year. And for you history buffs, Roosevelt Field Mall is built on the area that was Roosevelt Field, the airport Charles Lindberg took off from, and is considered to be the first Mall ever built. ---
**Author:** ![Tamex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ccd318/32.png) [@Tamex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamex)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2012, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-dont-have-horses-in-detroit/642586/34 "2012-12-01T05:04:10Z")
> [@Snickers](#): > > Huh. While Minneapolis or St. Paul may have mounted police, they’re certainly not a regular sight. I may have seen one, a good while ago. It’s just not really practical for the city to maintain horses around here - they could only be used maybe 8 months out of the year. And we’re not really known for our riots, either, so it’s possible there’s just no need. I’ve seen mounted police in Minneapolis. I think it was for the Aquatennial parade. Never in the suburbs, though. > [@kunilou](#): > > When my sister came back here for a visit (for the fist time in years) she was shocked that our buildings use so much brick. Apparently they don’t do that so much in southern California. Not earthquake-proof, I would suspect. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2012, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-dont-have-horses-in-detroit/642586/35 "2012-12-01T17:09:57Z")
> [@tonyfop](#): > > Ah, but this is not an NYPD mounted unit, it is Nassau County, on Long Island. I practically grew up in Roosevelt Field (before they added the second floor), and I don’t think I ever saw a Mounted cop there. Especially this time of year. Actually, I believe Nassau County’s Mounted Patrol is the second-largest in the state, and its major program is crowd control, not patrol. I’ve seen them at the Coliseum, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they worked Roosevelt Field during Christmas. ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2012, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-dont-have-horses-in-detroit/642586/36 "2012-12-01T17:15:02Z")
Do they wear special horseshoes to prevent stress shock from the hard pavement? ---
**Author:** ![Surly\_Chick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@Surly\_Chick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Surly_Chick)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2012, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-dont-have-horses-in-detroit/642586/37 "2012-12-01T17:28:59Z")
> [@Slithy\_Tove](#): > > Do they wear special horseshoes to prevent stress shock from the hard pavement? Yep, IIRC. I believe they’re hard rubber. Of course, I could be making that up but I think someone told me that once. ---
**Author:** ![Tethered\_Kite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a5b964/32.png) [@Tethered\_Kite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tethered_Kite)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2012, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-dont-have-horses-in-detroit/642586/38 "2012-12-01T17:36:07Z")
One of my daughter’s friends from Seattle fell all over himself about our noisy but beautiful blue jays. Cupelos on farm buildings and our nearly black soil were fascinating to our Texan acquaintances. And whenever I’m “down south” I think the houses don’t look quite finished without a foundation/basement. ---
**Author:** ![CatherineZeta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e95f7d/32.png) [@CatherineZeta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CatherineZeta)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2012, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-dont-have-horses-in-detroit/642586/39 "2012-12-01T17:43:16Z")
> [@Hello\_Again](#): > > NYPD Mounted unit is AFAIK the largest (and dare I say it, [best dressed](http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_CwSYMd9KuCE/TLg1P_DXjBI/AAAAAAAAKBQ/7NAa1VmyN00/s1600/DSC_2414.JPG)) mounted unit in the US with more than 100 officers. for comparison, Detroit has 7 officers in its Mounted Unit. And since the NYPD mounted officers are concentrated in the busiest areas of Manhattan in their day to day patrols, you tend to see them more than in other cities as well. The only place I’ve ever seen NYPD officers on horses (aside from during parades) is on the west side bike trail which frequently has horse poop all over it. Not sure why the horses don’t wear diapers (I’m serious- horse diapers are a [real thing](http://www.google.com/search?q=horse+diapers&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a)). I would imagine caring for the horses is very expensive so maybe that’s why seeing horses/mounted officers is a rare sight in some cities. I know that the NYPD has officers that are on bicycles- I feel like that would make more sense on a bike trail than a horse. ---
**Author:** ![Sahirrnee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sahirrnee/32/13937_2.png) [@Sahirrnee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sahirrnee)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2012, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-dont-have-horses-in-detroit/642586/40 "2012-12-01T18:12:37Z")
I’m not sure if Baltimore still has A-rabs. I grew up in the county so we didn’t have them but when I stayed at my aunt’s in the city I was really surprised to see pony drawn wagons going up the alleys with the A-rabs calling out whatever produce they had for sale. That’s how city housewives got fresh produce back in the say when few women drove. I remember my aunt bought some silver queen corn for dinner, first time I’d ever seen corn that wasn’t yellow. It’s been years since I worked downtown, but even then pony drawn wagons would be parked on a few corners loaded down with all kids of fresh produce. I don’t know where the term A-rab came from. I hope it isn’t taken as racist, it’s just what they were called. The ponies were kept at the city stables, and the city was pretty strict on how they were cared for. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-dont-have-horses-in-detroit/642586.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-dont-have-horses-in-detroit/642586.md?page=3)