NEW YORK – The NYPD stables are suitable for a king, and good for them! There have been some critics since the New York Police Department Mounted Unit occupied their current digs, but Law Enforcement Today is not among them.

For years, the NYPD maintained tucked-away—but easy to smell—stables on Pier 76 in Hell’s Kitchen for its squadron of police horses. But since November 2015, the Mounted Unit horses have fancier digs in an unlikely spot: Mercedes House, the ziggurat on West 53rd Street, according to ny.curbed.com.

The relatively new stables are located on the ground floor of the luxury rental, next door to the Mercedes dealership that gives the building its name. When the project was nothing more than a vision, members of the community board persuaded Jed Walentas of Two Trees Management to include the horses’ new home there.

The stables, which cost $30 million to build, has 27 stalls, in addition to “two hot water horse showers, automatic water feeders for a constant supply of fresh water for horses and a broad indoor riding ring for the horses to exercise in,” according to DNAInfo. They even have an in-house farrier to change horseshoes.

“When you see the officers cleaning and tacking their horses,” said Barry Galbman, commanding officer, “and leaving for patrol, it’s a unique experience, considering that this does not happen anywhere else in the city.”

Mercedes House is one of four stables citywide, according to the report. The location was chosen because of its’ proximity to Midtown and Times Square.

NYC’s Mounted Unit was established in 1871 to “combat reckless galloping.” They’ve come a long way since then. The reckless behavior they curb is far worse than that.

NYPD Stables – Video courtesy Curbed NY Facebook:

Peek inside the luxe life of an NYPD horse Get a taste of NYC's glam lifestyle through the eyes of a four-legged tenant. Posted by Curbed NY on Wednesday, May 24, 2017

“Pulling up it didn’t look like a stable but it sure smells like one,” then Commissioner Bill Bratton joked at the opening ceremony when the facility opened.

“It’s absolutely beautiful,” said Sgt. Donald Boyle of the stables. “They deserve it, they work very hard every day for us.”

The horses were formerly stabled at Pier 76 where police operate a tow yard. Indeed Mercedes House is a bit of an upgrade, one that is suited for a king as well as our equine partners.

(Photo courtesy Juan Beltran)