THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, October 21, 1994 TAG: 9410190165
SECTION: PORTSMOUTH CURRENTS PAGE: 08 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JUDY PARKER, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Long : 114 lines
COMMANDANT KNOWS THE Commodore.
Although this story isn't about two military buddies spending their afternoons trading war stories and memories of some past military glory, it is about a special kind of bonding between humans and animals . . . the special unit of four officers in the police department's mounted patrol and their four-legged partners.
Commandant is a 12-year-old grey shire, who stands 18 hands high, literally weighs a ton, and is extremely partial to peppermints and apples . . . treats the staff at Olde Towne's Commodore theater always has on hand for this black-eyed beauty.
``He knows where the food is,'' said Officer Carol Consolvo, a five-year veteran of the mounted patrol.
As if to prove his human partner right, Commandant strolled slowly under the branches of an old tree, its limbs extending over the brick wall of Trinity Episcopal Church.
Without missing a beat, Commandant tilted his head skyward, bit a piece of limb well-supplied with green leaves, and munched slowly and contentedly on a mid-morning snack.
``See, he thinks the whole world is an `all you can eat' salad bar,'' Consolvo said.
Commandant is one of six horses in the mounted patrol, and along with Chieftan, a slightly smaller shire at 17 hands and 1,800 pounds, was donated to the department two years ago by the U.S. Army. The two horses previously had served 10 years in the Caisson Patrol at Arlington National Cemetery.
Others in the unit are Norton, a 9-year-old black thoroughbred adept at steeplechase; J.R., a chestnut-colored 15-year-old quarter horse who has willingly walked through a brush fire in the line of duty, and is considered great at crowd control; LaRonceray, or `Ray,' also a thoroughbred, but a bust as a student at a local riding academy (the department is in the process of selling him); and Ecco now partially retired after being struck by a drunk driver two years ago.
While the mounted patrol, organized in 1985, is high profile and an effective public relations tool for the department, the horses and their riders are as much on the front-line of police work as their squad car counterparts. Officers can stop, arrest and handcuff suspects, all the while staying in the saddle. They direct traffic, do traffic stops and engage in routine patrol of Downtown.
``Sure, they're really very big PR, but officers on horseback can do anything officers in cars can do. . . except transport a prisoner to jail,'' explained Lisa Smith, groom and trainer for the unit.
An equine management graduate of Southern Seminary and Junior College in Buena Vista, Smith is in charge of training, feeding, cleaning, medicating when necessary, and, basically, being a mother to the horses. She also instructs the squad of four officers attached to the unit, all of whom are volunteers and have completed a 10-week program at a local riding academy.
Special events such as the Seawall and Umoja festivals, where large crowds gather and the risk of a disturbance is high, make ideal work sites for the patrol. Officers sitting high on horseback have an advantage over officers on foot in surveying crowd conditions.
``No matter how much some individuals don't like police officers, the horses have a quieting and calming effect.
``Whether they hear gun shots, fire crackers, or car horns, the horses have to stay in control. Believe me, they're not intimidated by anything or anyone,'' Smith said.
Instead, they're the intimidators. Especially, J.R., who thinks he's a bull.
``He was raised on a farm and hung around with a bull,'' Smith said. ``He's the most stubborn of all our horses and not afraid of anything.''
Commandant, nicknamed `Fluffy Butt' by Consolvo, imitates a behavior more often associated with cats than horses.
``He'll rub that big, white butt against anything,'' Consolvo said. ``He nearly flipped a VW van once trying to get a good scratch.''
Chieftan is described as a sweetheart. . . very laid back. Ecco's got a knack for unlatching the gate to his paddock . . . `Ray's' a thumper who pats a front hoof whenever he's eating . . . Norton's been dubbed `no name' because, well, he's not really a party animal.
Consolvo and Ecco, a 16-year-old quarter horse, recently competed in the National Mounted Patrol Competition, an annual event, held this year in Northern Virginia. Police officers and their mounts, from units as far away as Toronto and South Carolina participated.
``It was a blast, and I'm so proud of how Ecco handled himself. We didn't win any ribbons, but we survived the competition.''
`Survived' was something of an understatement as Consolvo described a scene during the competition when Ecco jumped, just as he was supposed to, but she went airborne, her feet free of the English saddle's stirrups, and her hands clutching frantically for Ecco's mane.
``I was determined not to fall off my horse in front of all those people.''
Events like the National's aren't simply horse-and-pony shows. They provide a measure of how the horses will react in adversesituations.
``The obstacle course was a killer,'' Consolvo explained. ``The horses had to walk over metal grates and aluminum cans . . . even through a car wash. They were confronted with screaming cheerleaders waving pom-poms in their faces, and every so often a gun would be fired, to see how they would handle the commotion.
``All the events are a way to test the horses reactions to sudden noises and unruly crowds.''
``Contrary to what some people think, horses are not dumb. They're good judges of character,'' Consolvo said, ``and they make great, dependable partners. This is the best police job I've ever had.'' ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by MARK MITCHELL
Police officer Carol Consolvo rides Commandant, a 12-year-old grey
shire, that was donated to the department two years ago by the U.S.
Army. The horse had served 10 years in the Caisson Patrol at
Arlington National Cemetery. ``Contrary to what some people think,
horses are not dumb. They're good judges of character,'' Consolvo
said, ``and they make great, dependable partners. This is the best
police job I've ever had.''
KEYWORDS: PORTSMOUTH POLICE DEPARTMENT MOUNTED PATROL by CNB