The Providence, Rhode Island Police Department on Tuesday announced the death of one of their brothers in blue, 12 year-old Thunder, a surplus Budweiser clydesdale donated to the force for use as a mount, writing on Facebook they were “saddened to share the passing of Mounted Command equine Thunder,” who was “born at Grant’s Farm in St Louis, Missouri and was later purchased and generously donated to the department by McLaughlin and Moran, Inc. Thunder proudly served the City of Providence and will be deeply missed by the police department, especially his partner, Officer Jose Mendez, and Commanding Office of the Mounted Command, Sgt Steven Courville.”
It’s not clear why Thunder made it less than half the typical 25 to 30 year lifespan of an active clydesdale, especially one under the employ of a well-resourced mid-sized police department with the budget to provide veterinary care not to mention a bond with an officer who regularly rode him as needed for high-attendance public gatherings. Maybe just a hint of an explanation of the cause would probably go a long way to allaying suspicions that there was neglect or abuse involved.