Video Shows Police Horse Refuse to Start Work Without Giant Mug of Sugary Tea, and It’s Hilarious

Video Shows Police Horse Refuse to Start Work Without Giant Mug of Sugary Tea, and It’s Hilarious
(Illustration - Getty Images)
12/24/2019
Updated:
12/24/2019

For many regular employed people, it is impossible to conceive of starting the working day without a delicious mug of hot tea or coffee. A now-internet-famous, pampered police horse from the United Kingdom named Jake is no different.

Twenty-year-old Jake, who has been serving with England’s Merseyside Police since 2004, has developed such a love for the classic British morning brew that he quite simply won’t get up for work without one. Jake’s morning beverage is even served to him in a jumbo-sized mug with two tasty sugars.

Staff at the stable where Jake resides in Allerton, Liverpool, explained that Jake waits patiently for his morning brew before rising for his daily duties. Accordingly, all staff have been briefed to include Jake in their first tea round of the day.

Merseyside Police Mounted Section manager and trainer Lindsey Gaven described Jake to the Daily Mail: “Jake is one of twelve horses we’ve got at the stable working with us,” she said. “I'd definitely describe Jake as a horse with a lot of character.

“We’ve all learnt his tea order, he'll deal with one sugar, but is definitely happier when you remember to give him two.”

For the perfect morning pick-me-up, Jake preferences tea with skimmed milk, two heaped teaspoons of sugar, and a little cold water mixed in to create the ideal drinking temperature. Photos of the handsome horse waiting for his cup of tea, then sinking his huge tongue into the mug to slurp out the contents, quickly went viral after being shared in November 2019.

“If you’re at the side of the stable and he sees you with a mug in your hand, you can guarantee he'll trot on over to try and steal a slurp,” Gaven joked.

Police horses are still crucial to modern-day policing. According to Yahoo, the Mounted Section’s specific skillset allows police officers and their horses to reach many spots that are harder for law enforcement vehicles to access. Mounted officers routinely participate in searches for missing persons and in the gathering of evidence for ongoing investigations.

Police horse Jake’s role with the Merseyside Police often involves helping supervise security at football matches. In the past, Jake has also been employed as a police horse at Aintree Racecourse in Merseyside, overseeing the annual Grand National horse race.

At 20 years of age, however, veteran police horse Jake is due to retire in 2020. With a cleared schedule to look forward to, Jake will be able to enjoy his morning “cuppa,” the nation’s favorite beverage, at leisure.

Jake is not the only horse working for the Merseyside division with comedic characteristics. On Nov. 22, 2019, Merseyside Police posted a humorous video on their Instagram page of another horse named Beau.

“When you have hit the snooze button too many times,” they wrote, beside a video of Beau refusing to get up despite his trainer’s instruction. “Beau is not a big fan of the cold dark mornings,” they added. “Just 5 more minutes.”

The Merseyside Police regularly post amusing photos and videos of their off-duty equine employees on their Twitter page. The page has over 5,800 followers, and many comments attest to the myriad similarities between police horses and, well, the rest of us.