New Orleans Dancing Police Horse Dies after 16 Years on Force

Sept. 16, 2022
Ace became a YouTube sensation after he and his New Orleans police officer partner created a dance routine in 2012 to begin their shift on Bourbon Street each day.

In a Bourbon Street memorial service, the New Orleans Police Department paid tribute Thursday night to one of its most famous officers, Ace, a horse as adept at dancing as it was at crowd control.

With the police mounted and canine units lining on one side of the 100 block, in front of the Hustler Hollywood erotica store, and standing officers on the other side, in front of the Krystal daiquiri shop, Ace's longtime partner, officer Joseph Jones, rode a different police horse, Dude, down the aisle.

The True Blue Brass Band softly played a dirge. The other officers saluted. Jones placed a photo of Ace at a temporary memorial — a Police Department truck and horse trailer festooned with flowers, other photos and Ace's harness — then rode back up the aisle.

Between sobs, Jones tried to address the gathering. "This is going to be really short," he said, as comrades comforted him with pats on the back. "You're missed. ... Love you, Ace. New Orleans loves you."

Police Superintendent Shaun Ferguson was present as well, to extol Ace and the force's other four-legged officers: "They are our partners."

Ace, 20, died Aug. 31 after developing colic.

The horse and Jones had become YouTube sensations with a dance routine in 2012. As they began their shift on Bourbon each day, they'd dance with the street musicians and second-line in the French Quarter, attracting the attention and admiration of tourists and local residents alike, the Police Department said.

Ace once even made a surprise appearance at the Bourbon Street Drinkery when, overcome by the music inside, he stuck his head in the bar to jam to " Old Town Road" by Lil Nas X, before continuing his patrol.

In 2019, a video of Ace doing the Cupid Shuffle at a Police Department summer camp went viral.

Juanita Stretz, who has worked at the police barn in City Park since the 1980s, said Ace stood out among the 15 horses stabled there, not only for his dancing but because he was extremely friendly, especially with children.

"Ace was a good animal, but he was fearless," Stretz said. That's an especially important attribute in crowd control.

"He is going to be missed."

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(c)2022 The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate

Visit The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate at www.nola.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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(c)2022 The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate

Visit The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate at www.nola.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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