Honolulu police officers won't be saddling up anymore, as the city has decided to auction off the four-legged members of its horse patrol unit.

The HPD Mounted Horse Unit was disbanded last summer because of rising costs and now the cost of caring for the seven horses and maintaining their equipment is becoming onerous, HPD spokeswoman Michelle Yu said.

All-terrain vehicles now perform the duties the horses once did in O'ahu's parks and beaches.

Some members of O'ahu's horse community have expressed concern that the auction won't produce suitable buyers who know how to care for a horse.

The city's Budget and Fiscal Services Department will work to find suitable owners for the horses by following procurement processes established by the City Council, Yu said.

"The horses are a part of the HPD 'ohana, and every effort will be made to see that the horses are placed with owners who will provide the best possible care and facilities," Yu said.

HPD's Mounted Unit operated sporadically throughout much of its history. It began in 1999 as a pilot program and folded two years later.

It was reactivated in 2003 and used to control crowds, patrol parks and monitor high-crime areas and the Aloha Stadium parking lot during games.

Under city law, the director of budget and finance will set a minimum price and put the horses up for sale at a public auction to the highest bidder.

A horse, depending on pedigree and quality, can cost $50 to $50,000 said Suzi Hillis, a trainer at Hilltop Ranch in Waimanalo. An auction might not be the best way to sell these animals, which are well-trained mounts specially selected for police work, she said.

"The market is so bad right now," Hillis said."The economy isn't the greatest and people aren't buying horses. People are not willing to extend themselves for maintenance and the costs of owning a horse."