Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, December 19, 1993 TAG: 9312190057
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C7 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RON BROWN STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
"If you want to get somewhere in a hurry," said Officer A.J. Wright, "that's the gait to use."
The post trot is a tad slower than a canter, but slightly quicker than a regular trot.
"You've got to be real relaxed," Wright said. "You've got to sit very loose."
With that in mind, Wright hopes to do what good mounties do best: "Stay in the saddle."
After 11 weeks of training in Maryland, the three mounted patrol officers admit they've developed horse sense.
During their training, they learned to care for the horses and to maneuver them in crowds. They have even gone through horseback calisthenics to limber their muscles for riding.
They'll take to the streets Monday morning as horse patrols in Roanoke become a reality.
"I'm a little bit apprehensive," said Officer John Loope, who for 18 years has been patroling the streets the old-fashioned way - by car.
He's not ready to predict how effective officers on horseback will be.
In preparation for that task, the Maryland National Park Police riding school taught the officers and their steeds to step sideways to avoid people and cars and how to pull alongside an illegally parked car to make ticketing easier.
An officer perched on horseback has a better vantage point for checking cars for weapons and guns.
"I hope it will be taken favorably," said Eric Pendleton, the third mountie and a five-year veteran of the Roanoke Police Department. "We'll have a little bit of fun poked at us by others. We'll show them it's going to work."
Working has been a way of life in their 11 weeks in the academy.
"We got a basic overview of a horse from the ground up," Pendleton said.
The officers admit that horses have distinct personalities.
"They're all individuals," Pendleton said. "There is something out there that will push their buttons."
To help rid them of their hang-ups, trainers at the academy subjected the horses to distractions such as fireworks and set off a fire extinguisher to see if they were jumpy.
Pendleton's horse, Moe, is the oldest of Roanoke's three mounts. He seemed to handle things the best.
"He's a fine horse," Pendleton said of the 11-year-old chestnut thoroughbred. "He's a leader. He likes to be the leader of the pack."
Wright said that is simply basic horse psychology.
"Some are worse when they get around a group of horses," he said.
Wright's training horse, Shenandoah, was a little edgy - in all likelihood, too edgy for police work.
"He's a spooker in the field," Wright said. "He's just a green horse. He hasn't been around very much."
Once, when a deer jumped in front of Shenandoah on a trail ride, Wright lost his balance and tumbled on his face.
"When you've got a spooky horse, it puts a lot of stress on them," Wright said. "They're calmer when they are by themselves. They don't have to be the lead horse."
Loope's horse, Dennis, is the youngest of the crowd and is developing maturity.
"He's not real spooky," Loope said. "He's nervous."
by CNB