It is track season in Saratoga Springs, NY, and so here is your mandatory story about a police officer and his horse.

“Having a horse out there is like having five extra guys,” said Glenn Barrett, a mounted patrol officer who rides Jupiter. “You put the horse between two people fighting, it ends.”

my favorite:

The horse has been assaulted twice on the job - punched in the face and slapped repeatedly in 2012. Both led to arrests. He once stepped on a woman’s foot, but has never hurt anyone, Barrett said. Jupiter loves carrots and mints.

The kids love seeing the horses as well.