Gareth Southgate’s England squad may be playing pretty damn well, but there is another player snapping at their heels in a bid for World Cup glory.
Northumbria Police horse Peroni, 20, showcased some top footwork to score three goals in the mounted section’s own “England V Panama” match.
Despite one goal being disallowed after some illegal footwork was picked up on the video assistant referee system (VAR), England still managed to claim a 2-0 victory.
Panama’s only chance drifted far wide of the goal posts.
Even our horses have caught the #WorldCup fever! ? They are used to policing football matches, but today they've been showing off their own footy skills. Take a sneak peek at the REAL England vs Panama game! #2-0 England… ⚽ pic.twitter.com/MAtJqD3S2GEven our horses have caught the #WorldCup fever! ? They are used to policing football matches, but today they've been showing off their own footy skills. Take a sneak peek at the REAL England vs Panama game! #2-0 England… ⚽ pic.twitter.com/MAtJqD3S2G— Northumbria Police (@northumbriapol) June 22, 2018— Northumbria Police (@northumbriapol) June 22, 2018
Sergeant Stu Coats explained why football is an essential part of training police horses, such as 10-year-old Parker and Peroni.
“It looks like they are just larking around playing football,” he said.
“But this is actually an exercise we do quite regularly, not only for displays, but also in training.
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“It is very important that the horses, when they are out and about in public order situations, know exactly where their each one of their legs are.
“This is to make sure they are not standing on people — it is very much a control exercise, you’ll see the horses stepping over the ball and the officers asking to use not only their forelegs but their hindlegs as well.
“It’s a great exercise for the horses, they enjoy it and it is a bit of versatility for them, and it is also a very important practical tool that we use to ensure the officers have control of the horses at all times.”
It could be argued that having four legs gives the players a slight advantage, but we’ll leave FIFA and the FEI to go over the finer details…
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Lucy is an experienced news journalist, reporter and presenter. Since joining the Horse & Hound team in 2015, Lucy has reported from major global sporting events including the Tokyo Paralympic Games and multiple European Championships, as well as Badminton, Burghley and London, to name a few. She has covered current affairs and sports news across the full spectrum of equestrian disciplines and racing, as well as human and equine welfare, industry news and court cases.
