Philadelphia Mounted Patrol Hosts Large Animal Rescue Training
by Alex Lloyd Gross
It is something no one hopes will happen. A large animal is injured. Maybe a horse trailer is in an accident. Perhaps a cow gets loose from a nativity scene. Right now, the average patrolman has little to no knowledge of what to do. That is why the mounted patrol played host to the Pennsylvania Animal Response Team. Mounted officers were brought in from around the area to participate.
The first day was all lectures. The second day, a fully articulated horse dummy was used. Officers were taught how to stabilize the animal and how to move it. The Pennsylvania Animal Response team is lead locally by Sarah Gable. When a horse( for example) is hurt it cannot just be coaxed into a trailer. It might have to be loaded onto a sled and dragged. This requires precise rope rigging.
The Philadelphia Mounted Patrol sits back on some wooded property off of Krewstown Road in the Rhawnhurst section of the city. This unit will do some patrolling of city streets but they are used for crowd control during demonstrations and large gatherings such as parades.
Alex Lloyd Gross Photo-Delaware Valley News.com A look inside the horse barn at Mounted Patrol Headquarters.
It’s not just training for horses,but any animal larger than 200 pounds, Gable said. That could also include large breed dogs. Gable said that their organization needs funding to do what they do. This vital organization was de-funded by the Corbett administration. She said that she is hoping to be included in Governor Shapiro’s next budget. The amount needed is $250,000 which is a paltry sum when talking about state budgets.
Alex Lloyd Gross -Photo-Delaware Valley News.com Police from the region train on the articulated horse.
Now that the officers had this training, they are able to be the go to person in their department, should an incident arise where their services need to come into play. Gable said officers that took this training should practice this and receive refresher courses at least once a year.