It isn’t every day one sees a horse rocking a “stache” but for Draper, a three-year-old Clydesdale and Toronto Police Horse, the upper lip, er, upper muzzle hair is all in a day’s groom. And this November, Draper’s moustache has extra meaning.
This month is also known as “Movember,” the annual fundraiser for men’s health issues such as prostate cancer, suicide prevention, and testicular cancer. A global event, the Movember movement began in 2003 has funded over 1,200 men’s health projects around the world. It’s an online movement where anyone can create a page and establish challenges for people to follow and donate to ‒ the most popular being growing a moustache.
Toronto Police Sergeant Kris McCarthy says that Draper is not the first horse to arrive with a moustache, but his is the fullest McCarthy has ever seen. “I thought Draper would be the perfect spokesperson for our Movember campaign,” he says in a video on BlogTo.
Ever seen a horse with a mustache, Toronto? ? @TorontoPolice #Toronto #TorontoPolice #Movember pic.twitter.com/YkthwMzLPZ
— blogTO (@blogTO) November 4, 2021
Makes you want to kiss it or braid it or something…
Draper, who is new to the Toronto Police, has a naturally full and golden handlebar moustache. The Clydesdale breed, as well as Shires and Gypsy Vanners, have a lot of hair including feathers on the legs and a lush mane and tail. The “horsestache” is another genetic trait that, like regular horse whiskers, can serve as a guide when grazing, allowing the horse to feel through the grass or hay. And it’s adorable.
The Toronto Police Force clearly understands the appeal of Draper’s facial hair and posted a rather dashing photo of the gelding on its own Movember fundraising page, “Follicle Force”. Here you can donate to any police officer of your choice or click on Draper and get a close-up view of his golden handlebar moustache. This year the Toronto Police are targeting mental health initiatives.
According to the site BlogTO, Draper is new to the force, and Staff Sergeant Scott Bradbury, who has been running the Toronto Police Movember fundraiser for nine years, had this to say: “Lately I’ve been looking for an opportunity to hand the reins over to someone else. And who better than Draper, the horse with a mustache?”
So far, Draper is leading the force’s fundraising charge with $1,595 raised to date.
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