Like legendary England striker Gary Lineker, he’s got a dashing pair of ears and he spends his Saturdays at the football.
Like the Match of the Day presenter, he’s got plenty of adoring fans and he’s keen on salt and vinegar crisps.
Unlike 61-year-old Lineker, he weighs three-quarters of a tonne and measures 17ft from hoof to ear tip.
Meet police horse Odin, one of the beasts that – quite literally – inhabit Thames Valley Police’s stable.
The bay-brown beauty has kept safe all manner of people, from Queen Elizabeth II to crowds at the Kassam Stadium.
But what does this stunning Shire horse like to eat? Rider PC Chris Harriett said: “We were sitting at the football and during the match, which is our downtime, he was tied up at the front of the horsebox and we shared a packet of crisps between us.”
It was a case, the constable of 14 years’ experience said, of one crisp for Odin and one for him. The game, between Brighton and Hove Albion and Crystal Palace at the former’s home ground, ended in a draw.
Thames Valley Police is one of comparatively few forces with a mounted section. The horses and their riders can be deployed anywhere from football games and riots to general patrols in the wake of community concerns.
The imposing sight of three large horses trotting towards you can be enough to break up a large crowd.
But the horses have another benefit, said PC Harriett – speaking to reporters at Thames Valley's Heyford airfield base yesterday.
Officers on foot-patrol or patrolling an area in their panda car might get relatively little interaction with the public.
“You send the horses down the street and you’ll get people coming out their homes to speak to you,” he said.
“These horses can just break down those barriers between us and, actually, we can show people we are human beings and we are there to help with problems in their area.”
Although they may look large, the animals are ‘very manoeuvrable’ and can canter after suspects. Their riders are trained to grab potential offenders from the saddle.
Last week, riders in neighbouring Gloucestershire arrested an alleged drink driver at the county town’s hospital.
The horses are regularly in attendance at Windsor Castle, the Queen’s official residence. For the Jubilee, earlier this summer, Odin and his colleagues wore Union Jack bowties and ended up decked-out in bunting.
And while the animals may occasionally glimpse the monarch in the flesh, they have a daily reminder of the sovereign they serve. Officers have a cardboard cut-out of the queen on the door of their horse box HGV. “We all love the Royal Family,” Odin’s rider said.
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This story was written by Tom Seaward. He joined the team in 2021 as Oxfordshire's court and crime reporter.
To get in touch with him email: Tom.Seaward@newsquest.co.uk
Follow him on Twitter: @t_seaward