Sponsor a Horse
Sponsor a Horse Fundraiser 2023
The Seattle Police Department’s Mounted Patrol Unit (MPU) is a timeless and cherished Seattle icon! This highly visible and approachable Unit draws people of all ages and from all walks of life who are thrilled with the opportunity to meet the Police Horses and chat with the officers who ride them.
The Need
It is no secret that throughout its history, the MPU has been threatened by City budget shortfalls. In 2010, the Unit came dangerously close to shutting down, until the Seattle Police Foundation stepped in and launched the “Save our Horses” initiative. Thanks to an incredible partnership with the Seattle Hotel Association and many generous contributions from our loyal donors, we entered into a contract with the City to fund the Unit for a three-year period.
Once through that crisis, the City resumed its role of funding the Unit, but like many other units, shortfalls persist as the budget has become increasingly lean over the years. This is not exclusive to the MPU but is felt across the entire department, as SPD’s law enforcement professionals look for ways to do more with less. As with other units, supplemental funding from the Seattle Police Foundation helps bridge the crucial gap between what the City of Seattle can fund for the MPU and what it cannot.
Levels of Sponsorship
Please click on the sections below to learn more about each sponsorship level. This fundraiser is meant to be accessible to all! This means that every dollar makes a difference, and every donation is appreciated and valued. Whether you invest in a Spa Day or a one year Sponsorship, your individual contribution makes life better for the horses of the MPU.
Questions? Check out our FAQ
Note: if you would like to donate an amount other than what is offered below, please use our main SPF donation page and write Mounted Patrol Unit in the comments field. Thank you!
One year sponsorship incentives include:
Custom Stall Sponsor Plate featuring name of Sponsor and Police Horse*
*Stall plates are awarded one per Police Horse on a first come first served basis. Police Horse Felix is not available for a stall plate.
Framed professional photo (8 x 10) of sponsored horse
Seattle Police Foundation 20-year Commemorative Challenge Coin
Exclusive meet and greet with the horses of the SPD MPU and barn tour for sponsor + 5 guests
Custom, limited edition Mounted Patrol Unit coffee cup
Official SPD Mounted Patrol Horseshoe
Quarterly MPU newsletter (1st newsletter January 2024)
Half-year sponsorship incentives:
Framed professional photo (8 x 10) of sponsored horse
Seattle Police Foundation 20-year Commemorative Challenge Coin
Meet the horses of the MPU on an exclusive barn tour
Official SPD Mounted Patrol Horseshoe
Quarterly MPU newsletter (1st newsletter December 2023)
Quarter-year sponsorship incentives:
Framed professional photo (8 x 10) of sponsored horse
Seattle Police Foundation 20-year Commemorative Challenge Coin
Quarterly MPU newsletter (1st newsletter December 2023)
One month sponsorship incentives:
Framed professional photo (5 x 7) of sponsored horse
Seattle Police Foundation 20-year Commemorative Challenge Coin
Quarterly MPU newsletter (1st newsletter December 2023)
Spa day incentives:
Framed professional photo (5 x 7) of sponsored horse
Seattle Police Foundation 20-year Commemorative Challenge Coin
Quarterly MPU newsletter (1st newsletter December 2023)
Share the Mounted Patrol Unit with your Friends and Family
Sponsoring a horse on behalf of a friend or family member is a great gift for that hard-to-shop-for person in your life who already has everything they need. What could be more rewarding than the understanding that you, or someone that you love, has contributed to the preservation of this vital and irreplaceable Seattle legacy.
We have sponsorship levels to suit all budgets, each with different incentive packages, including the chance to tour the barn and meet the magnificent horses of the MPU. Mounted Patrol Units are dwindling in our region and across the country, and we are excited to share this unique, historic Unit with the generous donors who step up to support it now and into the future.
Meet the String
What does my money pay for?
While City funding pays for a lot of essential equipment for the Mounted Patrol Unit, there are often costs that extend beyond what is allotted in the budget. SPF funding helped pay for new saddles as recently as 2020, when we stepped in to help fill a detrimental gap.
Specialized equipment like saddles, bridles, and other equine-related items, can easily exceed standard equipment budgets, making this an area of need for the Unit. Recently, the Foundation purchased six Porta-Grazer™ slow hay feeders, when City funding proved insufficient to provide the total number of feeders needed for the Unit.
Police horses must be calm, steadfast, and extraordinarily well-trained. Well-trained enough to remain serene in the face of loud noises and other potential distractions while out on patrol. Mounted Patrol Unit officers must undergo rigorous equine-related training, to ensure their ability to safely perform law enforcement duties from the back of a horse.
Training is another area where there are often gaps between what’s been budgeted and what is actually needed to help the unit thrive. Training budgets rarely have surplus to pay for unanticipated training opportunities as they come up, which means that without supplemental funding, important opportunities for professional development can be lost.
Even with SPD’s ongoing staffing shortfalls, the MPU is in a period of growth, and to help facilitate that growth, proper training for prospective MPU officers is imperative.
Emergency/unanticipated veterinary needs can add up quickly, displacing funding intended for other important uses. Supplementary funding can help fill the deep hole left by unexpected veterinary costs, ongoing medical treatments and/or medications, and follow-up care.
While City funding pays for basic maintenance and emergency needs as they come up, supplemental funding helps bring to life transformational projects that make life better for the horses, officers, and the MPU’s civilian staff members.
One of the limitations of government budgets is that, often times, assets cannot be replaced until they have come to the end of their useful life. Supplemental funding helps pay for facility enhancements that may be needed long before the budget can accommodate them. Over the years, Seattle Police Foundation supporters helped improve the barn and the outdoor paddocks, making the space much more functional and user-friendly.
Occasionally, there is enough City funding to complete part of a project, but more is needed to finish the work. This is where donations both monetary and in-kind can be blended with City funding to help complete projects that improve the environment for horses and staff.
Frequently asked Questions
Yes!! We happily accept any and all donations to support the Mounted Patrol Unit. If you would like to donate an amount other than what is specified on the sponsorship donation page, please visit our main donation page and write Mounted Patrol Unit in the comments section.
Even though City funding pays for the basic care, food, facility maintenance, and equipment, there are always gaps, as well as things that simply fall outside of the budget. SPF’s goal for this fundraiser is to raise supplemental funding for the MPU to support training needs, specialized equipment, new police horses, and more.
We want this iconic Unit to not just exist but to thrive! Supplemental funding that can be devoted to a higher level of care, training, and equipment, will only enhance the Unit’s ability to serve the Seattle community.
While the City of Seattle has invested in police horses over the years, new police horses are most often purchased by the Seattle Police Foundation. We’ve invested in police horses for the Unit practically since we opened our doors in 2002, with Police Horse Blaze being one of our earliest purchases. Our most recent investment in horses for the Unit came in 2021, when the Unit welcomed Police Horses Doobie and McLovin to the string. Currently, there are two Police Horses approaching retirement age, Police Horse Blucher, and Police Horse Chance, which means new horses for the MPU are on the horizon.
Questions? Please email: chris@seattlepolicefoundation.org