Patrolling the streets of Gainesville during weekends and major events can be difficult for police because its tough to get through the crowd. In those cases, Gainesville police often turn to their mounted patrol. It takes months of training before those horses are certified to hit the roads.
GPD puts them in situations such as breaking up crowds, catching criminals, and breaking up fights after an argument gets out of control. The horses in the mounted patrol are considered officers that can't be touched aggressively. Anyone who hits a horse may be arrested or issued a ticket.