This month the NSW Mounted Police Unit, the oldest continuous operational mounted police unit in the world, marks 200 years of dedicated service to the people of New South Wales.
On Friday September 12 the Bicentenary was marked with a street parade from Hyde Park Barracks to the Sydney Opera House, which will included 100 current and retired officers, including 24 on horseback.
They were joined by the NSW Police Force Banner Party, the NSW Police Band and the NSW Police Traffic & Highway Patrol.
As part of the Bicentenary, the Unit has also honoured one of its finest. Retired Inspector Don Eyb devoted an extraordinary 64 years of service to the Mounted Police, including 13 years as Officer in Charge.
Beginning as a trainee in 1961, Inspector Eyb remained with the Mounted Police until his retirement in 2005 – and continued serving as a Volunteer in Policing until this year. His career was defined by an insistence on discipline, precision and daily improvement in both riders and horses.
The Unit’s training arena at Redfern has now been renamed the Don Eyb manège in his honour. A fitting permanent tribute at the heart of the stables where he influenced generations of officers and Troop Horses alike.
Inspector Eyb. Photo: NSW Police Force
Formed by Governor Brisbane on 7 September 1825, the Mounted Police pre-date the London Metropolitan Mounted Police (1828) and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (1863).
In their earliest years, the Unit was tasked with tracking bushrangers and runaway convicts across the expanding colony. By 1830, detachments were based at Bathurst, Goulburn and Maitland as well as Sydney’s Belmore Barracks, laying the foundations of modern policing in regional NSW.
NSW Mounted Police, Sydney, between 1890-1900 / photographer unknown, Item: SLNSW_FL454132, courtesy Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales
The Unit reached its peak strength in the early 1900s with more than 800 officers and 900 horses, before relocating in 1907 to its permanent base in Bourke Street, Redfern where it remains today.
While ceremonial duties such as the annual Royal Easter Show musical ride remain a cherished tradition, they account for less than 5 per cent of the Unit’s more than 1,100 yearly deployments. The vast majority of taskings involve supporting Police Area Commands and Districts across the state with crime prevention patrols, arrests and community engagement.
The Mounted Police continues to play an important role in crowd control at major public events and provides specialist support to interstate jurisdictions. The Unit’s work in palliative care visits, children’s hospital visits and community engagement highlight its enduring popularity with the public.
Photo: NSW Police Force
Photo: NSW Police Force
Member for Minister for the Hunter Yasmin Catley said on Friday:
“For 200 years, Mounted Police Officers and their Troop Horses have stood side by side, upholding a proud tradition of service and discipline.”
“From bushranger patrols in the 1800s, to crowd management and search operations today, this bond has helped keep the people of NSW safe for two centuries.”
“I want to acknowledge all former and current serving Mounted Police Unit officers, and their loyal Troop Horses, who have played an integral role in this state’s proud policing history.”
NSW Police Force Acting Commissioner, Peter Thurtell APM said:
“There is a lot to admire about the Mounted Police Unit, but the most unique aspect is the demonstrated bond between the officer and the troop horse —a partnership built on trust, discipline, and mutual respect.”
“The Mounted Police Unit's reputation has earned international recognition, and its contributions have shaped the very fabric of law enforcement in this country.”
“Today, we celebrate a legacy of horsemanship and service to the community – a combination that has served our state for 200 years, which is an outstanding achievement.”
The NSW Mounted Police Unit has a proud history of providing support to the Royal Family during visits to NSW, including Royal Escorts by her late majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, and late Duke of Edinburgh, and more recently his majesty King Charles III and her majesty Queen Camilla in 2024.
One of the units’ highlights was in 2012 when the Mounted Police Unit was invited to perform in the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Pageant at Windsor Castle, England, and the Royal Windsor Horse Show.
The Mounted Police Unit officers have also performed the Musical Ride at the Royal Easter Show for more than a century. The performance involves a series of manoeuvres and horse movements which replicate the operational environment troop horses and officers are required to work in.
Today, the Mounted Police comprise of over 30 officers and Troop Horses, supported by 10 full-time grooms who help with the daily running and maintenance of the Redfern stables. Since the first female officer joined in 1982, women now make up 75 per cent of the Unit, including its first female Commander, Inspector Kirsten McFadden.
Policing colleagues from around the globe and Australia have sent many kind messages of congratulations.
Those tributes run in the video below.
Happy 200th NSW Mounted Police Officers and Troop Horses - here's to 200 more!