Roanoke Police Train Friesian Recruits...

These were my first thoughts when I found out the City of Roanoke has Friesian horses in it’s Mounted Patrol unit. Images of heavily armored Knights on majestic, high-stepping black horses with heavy manes, long thick tails and feathered fetlocks came to mind. And even though it is a different era, a uniformed Policeman patrolling Campbell Avenue riding this awesome horse surely has as much impact as that armored Knight must have had in ages past.

For the past several weeks, two of the Roanoke Mounted Patrol Friesians have been living and training at our facility in Buchanan, Amethyst Acres Equine Center. My husband Mark and I had recently sold a horse to Officer Frank Garrett, who lives in Botetourt and is a member of the Roanoke Police on temporary assignment with the Mounted Patrol. Officer Garrett told us that the Mounted Patrol had been given a 6-year old Friesian gelding and needed a place to start him under saddle. They also needed to do some remedial training with another Friesian gelding who had been with the Patrol for several months. We jumped at the opportunity to have two of these beautiful horses at our place, and after an inspection of our facility by fellow Patrol Officer Eric Pendleton, Nitro and Sebastian arrived at Amethyst Acres to start their training.

Left: Officer Frank Garrett with Nitro

Right: Officer Eric Pendleton with Sebastian

The Roanoke Mounted Patrol is a relatively young unit, starting in 1993 with just three officers and four horses. There are only around 500 mounted units in the country, and Roanoke is the only one with Friesian horses. It was founded as a joint effort between the Downtown Roanoke Merchants and the City of Roanoke and has progressed from humble beginnings stabling and working out of a donated warehouse in downtown to a recently completed barn in the Roanoke Center for Industry and Technology off Blue Hill Drive.

At Left: (left to right): Officer Rich Saverwald on Seiko, Officer Frank Garrett on Sebastian, Officer Eric Pendleton on Nitro, Officer James Wilcher on Big Mac, Officer Jason Holt on Snoopy.

Along with three Friesians (Nitro, Sebastian and Seiko) the Mounted Patrol has a Quarterhorse/Thoroughbred (Trapper...the Senior horse on the force), a Paint (Snoopy) and a Walking Horse (Big Mac). If you are in downtown Roanoke between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m., or at a special event anywhere across the Roanoke Valley, you are likely to see one of these beautiful horses at work. Because of their professional reputation, they have worked at events ranging from the opening ceremonies for Colonial Downs Raceway and the Bedford D-Day Memorial dedication to President Clinton’s 1996 Inauguration.

Watching Officer Garrett and Officer Pendleton training Nitro and Sebastian was so much fun that there were many times Mark had to remind me I needed to be doing chores and not standing with my mouth open watching "the Friesians." These extremely gentle horses originated in Friesland, a province of The Netherlands (Holland) and are one of Europe’s oldest breeds. Although they were imported to North America in the seventeenth century, the breed was totally lost due to crossbreeding and not reintroduced until 1974. Today there are only an estimated 2,000 Friesians in North America!.how extremely fortunate the City of Roanoke is to have three of these awesome horses on it’s Police force!

Within 30 days of starting a training routine, Nitro and Sebastian (and their partners Officer Garrett and Officer Pendleton) were riding through the streets of Buchanan as one of several "outings" to introduce the horses to traffic, baby buggies, and all the other "buggers" they might encounter when they officially start work. They have also learned to remain calm around fluttering flags, screaming sirens and having a "jolly ball" repeatedly thrown at them...an amazing testament to the Friesian temperament.

Photo Below: Officer Frank Garrett on Sebastian, Officer Eric Pendleton on Nitro and Officer Rich Saverwald on Seiko

In addition to becoming huge fans of the Friesian breed, Mark and I have developed a tremendous respect for the efforts of the Roanoke Mounted Police. The Mounted Police help reinforce a positive image for the City of Roanoke, and for the entire Roanoke Valley, an area know for its involvement with horses because of the annual Roanoke Valley Horse Show. They allow people, especially young kids, a chance to interact with a police officer in a positive way yet they are a force to be reckoned with by someone interested in breaking the law. Would you want a 16 hand, 1300 pound horse chasing you down the road??

What is probably most surprising about the Roanoke Mounted Patrol is they are able to achieve so much while relying almost entirely on the community for support...they receive limited funding from the City of Roanoke. And anyone who has been around horses knows they aren’t cheap...they require feed, hay, veterinarian visits, farrier visits, new saddles and pads, trailers and vehicles to pull them, etc.,etc...all of which must be purchased from money donated by the citizens of Roanoke Valley.

Photo Below Right: Officer Garrett on Seiko and Officer Pendleton on Sebastian

The next time you see a Roanoke Mounted Patrol Officer and his horse partner, go up and say "hello" and give them your moral support. Even better, if you would like to contribute to their effort with a donation, contact Joe Wright with the Roanoke Foundation for Downtown, Inc. at (540) 342-2028, or call me at Amethyst Acres Equine (540) 254-1017.

More Mounted Police Photos:

Photo Above: With Patrol Horse "Snoopy" and Officer Jason Holt in the lead, Patrol Officers and their horses complete a series of warm up exercises, including this one referred to as doing "sit-ups."

Next Two Photos Below: Patrol Officers and their horses practice a variety of crowd control maneuvers.

Photo Above: Officer Jason Holt on Snoopy explains a possible maneuver in which an Officer might ride backwards on his horse to protect the flanks of his fellow officers as they ride into a hostile situation.

Photo Below: Patrol Officers and their horses practice balance and have some fun throwing and catching a football.