Richmond police add three horses to mounted patrol squad

The Richmond Police Department will introduce its three new geldings to the public tomorrow at an "open stables" event.

Police Chief Bryan T. Norwood has doubled the number of horses and officers in the department's mounted patrol squad to six of each, keeping a promise he made shortly after he became chief late last year.

New horses Beau, Howie and Turbo Diesel -- all donated -- have joined geldings Rio, Raleigh and Road Runner in the mounted unit. The three newest officers are Craig Buchbinder, Dawn Lehmann and Monica Watson.

"A lot of people think you can come down here and get on a horse and it's like the movies, and you ride," said Richmond police Capt. Michael Shamus, who oversees the mounted squad. "It's a lot of training."

The mounted police officers must train their horses to go against instinct so they can maintain control in busy downtown traffic, at crowded festivals or during raucous protests.

The new horses are undergoing weeks of training, and officers hope Turbo Diesel and Beau will be ready for duty by July 1. They will need to be on their game for the Fourth of July celebration at Dogwood Dell.

Beau is a retired racehorse. Turbo came from a Hanover County farm, where he was not cut out for equestrian competitions because arthritis in his neck impeded jumping. Howie hadn't been trained to do much of anything.

Horses might do a great job training at the stables. But take them out for the sights and sounds of the city, and if they don't have a good temperament, they can lose their cool and create a dangerous situation. The officers try to desensitize them to the distractions they'll face on the job.

Lehmann, who left a bicycle patrol unit to join the mounted squad, said she is trying to get Beau to respect her, so he will allow her to lead him. "It's definitely a lot harder than I thought it was going to be," she said.

Some of the horses have quirks. Road Runner refused to walk through mud puddles until Sgt. Eric Bardon kept pushing him.

Officers have to wash brush and clip the horses and clean up after them.

"You have to take care of him like he's a baby, almost," Buchbinder said.

But they enjoy the work. "It's the best job since I've been here, and I did canine for eight years," says officer Jeff Napier, who will retire at the end of the month.

Mounted officers primarily patrol downtown Richmond, the Fan District and the city's parks. They also work crowd control during visits by dignitaries, keep order at big events such as the Carytown New Year's Eve celebration and are used on weekend nights in Shockoe Bottom.

About $20,000 is spent per year on equipment, food and veterinary care.

Police commanders say mounted officers are a "gateway to community policing" because they are so accessible to the public.

Shortly after Norwood started his job in November, he told Bardon he would expand the mounted squad.

"He's the most horse-friendly chief we've had in a while," Napier said.

Contact Reed Williams at (804) 649-6332 or .