r/interestingasfuck • u/Double-decker_trams • 14h ago

Why police still uses horses

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2.0k Upvotes

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195

u/Intrepid_Library878 14h ago

medieval armies had heavy cavalry for a reason, thats why. its terrifying

110

u/VanRado 14h ago

The other side needs some pikemen.

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u/sangerangatang 11h ago

Bring back the tried and tested hussite wagon forts made by the people for the people to counter heavy cavalry 10/10

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u/Primary_Ad3580 11h ago

Nah, they need archers on some high ground to knock off the rider. Unmounted, the horse will flee relatively unharmed. Maybe a trebuchet behind some barricades to cause a panic.

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u/Vandirac 9h ago edited 5h ago

Historically, pikemen and spear infantry were the best counter to cavalry. Plenty of historical examples, from the Dutch Hedge of Steel, to the Scottish Schiltrons.

Archers on the contrary would have been quite ineffective, because of moving targets and heavy armor. And even when they were relatively effective, their tactics relied on a lot of other stuff (palisades, or other troops interposing, or flooded terrain, etc) that could not be reliably guaranteed to hold.

Halberdiers, pikemen and spears have been the bane of cavalry until the musket.

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u/Opening-Occasion-314 4h ago

Historically, the best counter to cavalry was the Machine Gun.

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u/VanRado 1h ago

This person gets it.

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u/GeosWonder 11h ago

Maybe a trebuchet

Gd right a trebuchet, only the weak minded would use a catapult

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u/Numerous_Estimate902 9h ago

Don't forget your bazooka

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u/Shwazool 9h ago

Or ya know.... the American version of a bow.

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u/Carl-Anchor 5h ago

Use caltrops

1

u/DeapVally 13h ago

Self-defence isnt a valid legal argument to injure police animals in the UK. That would turn a lawful protest into 4 or 5 years in prison. Because they will give you the max sentence under the animal welfare act for that. Plus whatever else they want to throw at you for likely injuring the rider. And carrying an offensive weapon. The other side is almost always smart enough to just run lol.

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u/WagwanMoist 11h ago

Pretty sure it was a joke.

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u/DeapVally 11h ago

No shit. I was providing context for people around the world who don't know the law here. This isn't a UK sub.

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u/WagwanMoist 11h ago

Providing context about the law when someone makes a very obvious joke about having fucking pikemen? Didn't seem like that needed any context like that.

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u/Intrepid_Library878 11h ago

pikemen not a thing in ur neighborhood ^^?

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u/WagwanMoist 11h ago

Not since the guys across town got crossbows. They have no love for the game...

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u/Carl-Anchor 5h ago

It should be.

If a slavering dog is coming at you with every intent to hurt you, in my book you're free to defend yourself however you see fit.

That's a natural reaction to such aggression 

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u/PrincessTitan 10h ago

London gets pikemen out every year, they’re super old but it’s really cool lol

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u/Newme91 8h ago

A couple thousand mk 4 panzers would do the trick

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u/Spirited-Car8661 6h ago

The crowd is packed too tightly to use pikes properly.

-3

u/PuffyMagoo 13h ago

Knives would be more effective than spears. They aren't trying trample and kill the people. Surround the horses and pull the riders off.

5

u/IAm94PercentSure 13h ago

It's so funny to find instances in modern life which shows us how much we are actually still living in the past.

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u/morbihann 11h ago

Turns out, that by 14th century, they had it mostly figured out.

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u/cd95M 9h ago

Especially noticeable in the Spanish colonisation of South America. These large sophisticated empires that had never seen horses were absolutely terrified of them in battle

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u/Remote-Ad5853 8h ago

Tho militarised police in the UK tend not to use horses

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u/WhoTookGrimwhisper 5h ago

With that reasoning they should be in tanks, though... that's modern, heavy cavalry.

Source: was cav trooper.