Crowd control police horse collapses at Hibs match

A POLICE horse is being treated by vets after collapsing on Easter Road.

Admiral, a 21-year-old horse with eight years' service in the Capital, was part of the team assigned to crowd control at Easter Road following the game between Hibs and Rangers on Wednesday night.

As Rangers fans were leaving the ground, however, Admiral slumped to the ground. Sick football fans taunted the prone animal, chanting "you fell over!" repeatedly as they walked past.

After a few minutes Admiral was able to get back to his feet, but was clearly shaken and disoriented.

Jenny Clements, a lecturer in equine practice at the Royal (Dick) Veterinary school, said when she arrived at the scene Admiral seemed to have recovered.

"The first reports I got suggested that Admiral had appeared to be blind when he collapsed and had difficulty getting up, which would suggest something neurological," she said.

"He seemed fine when I arrived and jumped into the horse box. He is being examined now, although neurological conditions can be very difficult to diagnose. It could just be a one-off, but he is approaching retirement age anyway."

Admiral has been involved in handling crowd control at several high-profile events, including the G8 riots in 2005, the state opening of the Scottish Parliament in 2004 and the Pope's visit last year.