Calling all urban cowboys.
The city wants you — to patrol its parks on the back of a horse.
The mounted auxiliary unit of the Parks Department is recruiting experienced riders to join its patrols of Central Park in Manhattan, Van Cortlandt Park in The Bronx and green pastures in Staten Island on its four draft horses.
“Central Park is an interesting beat,” said volunteer rider Mark Elkins, a retired CUNY professor who’s hooked on horses. “To the south, it’s mostly interacting with tourists and making them feel more secure. To the north, there are areas that are heavily wooded and impenetrable except by horse.”
Armed only with a radio and a 1,800-pound steed, volunteers help with crowd control during parades, shutting down illegal barbecues, finding lost children, and reporting crime to police.
The auxiliary unit raises money and pays for itself, a Parks spokeswoman said.
“I grew up with a horse,” said volunteer Julie Geisler, who lives on Central Park West and works as a nonprofit management consultant.
In her free time, she can be found on horseback dressed in an official black vest and riding boots, reminding tourists not to pet her Clydesdale on the face and telling New Yorkers to keep their dogs on leashes.
The Parks Department currently has 50 volunteers on its rotation, all of whom are required to work a minimum of 48 hours a year.
Experienced riders interested in getting trained should call 311 and ask about the mounted auxiliary, a Parks spokeswoman said.