Pittsburgh’s newest police horse is a big one.
But that makes sense, considering it joined the department as a gift from Steelers center Maurkice Pouncey.
Nimbus stands 17.3 hands high with a long neck and large head. Hands are a measurement for horses; a hand is four inches. He weighs nearly a ton.
“He’s now our largest and our first gray one,” Pittsburgh Police Commander Ed Trapp said.
Pouncey, according to the Steelers roster, stands 6-feet, 4-inches tall, about 19 hands, and weighs 304 pounds.
Nimbus is the seventh horse to join the city’s mounted patrol, and the second to be donated by a play from the Steelers. Defensive end Stephon Tuitt donated one in 2017.
Pittsburgh City Council on Wednesday approved Pouncey’s gift of $7,500 for the purchase of a 7-year-old Percheron, a breed of large draft horses.
Pouncey in December presented the city with a check for $23,370 from himself and the Steelers for the purchase of a trailer that will be used during events to improve relations between police and residents. The police mounted patrol was on hand during the event.
“He saw the horses and said, ‘How can I get one?’” Public Safety Director Wendell Hissrich said.
At least five of the horses will be used during Saturday’s St. Patrick’s Day events. The horses will march in the parade and be on patrol along with mounted Pennsylvania State Police officers in the South Side, Trapp said.
