The newest equine member to the Met Police force has been named after a Richmond school.

The five-year-old Irish Draught horse was named after Strathmore School in Meadlands Drive, which teaches children with severe and complex learning difficulties, at a ceremony at the school on January 28.

Police horse naming convention dictates that all horses received by the Mounted Branch in a particular year are named with the same letter, which was “S” for 2015.

The Met police invited boroughs to submit nominations on behalf of eligible schools, and Strathmore’s entry was: “If this school was to win, the amount of joy and pleasure some of the pupils would receive in seeing a horse and maybe even touching it, would be immeasurable."

Richmond and Twickenham Times:

Commander Dave Musker, of the Met’s Taskforce, said Strathmore the horse had been in training for six months and is nearly ready to go out onto the streets to join the team’s 120 police horses.

He said: “Police horses are an integral part of the Met’s Taskforce and yesterday was a fantastic opportunity to go and visit the community we serve.

“The team had a wonderful morning at Strathmore School and I would like to thank the staff, and in particular the pupils for the very warm welcome they gave my officers and their namesake, Police Horse Strathmore."

Headmaster of Strathmore School, Ivan Pryce, said: “Many of our pupils had never been up close to a police horse before, and they have not stopped talking and communicating about it. I have no doubt that the event will long stay in their minds.

“To have a police horse named after our school is a very special privilege, we are very proud and we will be looking out for how Strathmore’s career develops over the years to come."