Hidden from view on Lewisham High Street is one of the Metropolitan Police’s largest stables, home to around 21 horses who spend their days patrolling the streets of south-east London.

With some horses off enjoying their summer break, and others out on patrol when News Shopper went to visit, the stables are a quiet and calm oasis next to the busy Lewisham Gateway.

Inspector Russell Pickin introduces us to the gentle giants who seem to enjoy the attention as they poke their well-groomed heads out of their stable doors.

The biggest of the herd is an impressive dapple grey by the name of Percy, who boasts the kind of muscle no rowdy football fan or enraged protestor would want to mess with.

We watch as two officers tack up their mounts – a grey called Finsbury and a younger Chestnut called Sandown – before heading out on patrol.

News Shopper:

Two mounted officers riding horses Sandown and Finsbury prepare to go out on patrol.

The Met’s mounted branch is made up of 110 horses and 141 officers divided across seven sites in London, from outer boroughs like Lewisham and West Hampstead, to the heart of the capital’s police force at Scotland Yard.

Inspector Pickin, who has been based at Lewisham for just over a year, explained the fundamental role of the mounted branch as exactly the same as other officers.

He told News Shopper: “We’re fighting crime, we’re trying to make London the safest capital in the world, protecting the citizens and bringing criminals to justice.”

But the horses and their riders also play a part in calming residents after a big crime or wave of disorder shocks the community, as it did in 2011 when riots spread across the capital following the death of Mark Duggan.

“After the riots, part of our work in the mounted branch was to go out and reassure people,” said Inspector Pickin.

“We were out patrolling the local areas, stopping, talking to people and reassuring them that things were going back to normal and there was nothing to fear.”

News Shopper:

Rocky having a stretch as we take a tour of the stables.

The work of a mounted branch officer includes patrolling ceremonial events, such as the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace, where riders are able to scan the crowds from their high vantage point, playing an important role in counter terrorism.

And at football matches, mounted police can often be seen above the masses of people, bringing calm to what is often a tense crowd.

The typical day of a mounted officer is unlike any others in the police force – partly as it begins in a stable with a shovel of horse poo – but also because they are responsible for not only their own health and safety, but that of their four-legged companion.

A police horse’s career begins at the training stables based at the Met's sports club in East Molesey, Surrey, where aged between around four and six years old, the animals are gradually introduced to the kinds of obstacles they’ll come face to face with on the job.

News Shopper:

Police horses on patrol on Hither Green.

As part of their training, the horses and officers visit the specially equipped public order training centre in Gravesend, where they get to grips with riot shields and tactics for policing vast crowds.

That training is put to the test in front of thousands of people for some of the most skilled horses and riders who perform in the Mounted Branches’ activity ride.

Famous for its display of precision and timing, viewers watch as horses boldly jump through rings of fire, over fences in perfect formation and - in the ultimate test of trust - through a solid wall of paper.

Inspector Pickin said the training, which is tried and tested over many years, is “progressive” in building up a horse’s confidence and trust in the rider.

“You reap the reward for that in the end as you do get some really good horses,” he said.

News Shopper:

Percy, Lewisham's biggest police horse.

To meet Lewisham's police horses, visit the station's family open day from 10am-3pm on July 24.