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Police Horses Kick Shy Habits Before Big Game

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By VALERIE KALFRIN

The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 26, 2008

TAMPA - Playing soccer is great preparation for the Super Bowl - if you're a police horse.

About a dozen horses at a time galloped around the equestrian center at the Florida State Fairgrounds on Thursday, nudging an inflated ball that's as high as their chests to mimic moving through crowds.

"They're prey, not predator, so they're always wanting to leave," Tampa police Cpl. Mike Morrow said, watching the game. "You're convincing them it's OK to move into man's space. They're not going to get hurt."

"Ya! Ya! Move it! Let's go!" the riders yelled as the ball got snarled in a tangle of legs. One steed kicked it free, and the group thundered after it.

A too-heavy hoof popped the ball after roughly a half-hour of horseplay. "Aw!" the riders moaned.

Morrow and Officer Steve Cornellier of the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office put about 28 police horses and riders from eight law-enforcement agencies through their paces to gauge who can help with traffic and crowd control during the Super Bowl.

The National Football League's championship game will be played Feb. 1 at Raymond James Stadium, but related events will be held citywide.

"It's a different crowd," said Cornellier, who worked Super Bowl XXXIX in Jacksonville in 2005. "You've got a lot of celebrities, a lot of stars. Then you've got your pockets of trouble."

Sitting about 10 feet high in the saddle gives officers great vantage points, Cornellier said. Plus, a 1,100-pound horse generally can move through a crowd with few problems.

Tampa's police horses have been slapped and struck by a car while working in Ybor City, but none has been hurt seriously.

"Ninety-five percent of the public will not do anything to harm a horse," Cornellier said.

Because horses are naturally skittish, police horses need constant exposure to different sounds and environments, and reinforcement about being assertive, Morrow said. They learn to use their shoulders and chests to push through crowds, and spin their heads or hips around at their riders' bidding to shake off combative people.

The soccer game refreshed some of those interactive skills Thursday. Then Cornellier and Tampa police Master Patrol Officer Tim Pasley took turns trying to wrestle each rider off his or her mount.

Sequence, a Tampa police horse, did a good job of twirling Pasley away until Pasley grabbed the right leg of Sequence's rider, Detective Lisa Bishop.

Bishop lost her stirrup and pitched head-first toward the ground before Pasley plopped her back in the saddle.

A few moments later, Pasley scuffled with Tampa police Officer Scott Rehbein and his horse, Lucky. Pasley forced Rehbein off and climbed aboard to hijack Lucky, but Rehbein wasn't giving up easily. He latched onto Pasley's arm and leg and took Pasley to the ground, to whoops and cheers.

"I had to get him off," Rehbein said afterward, noting he couldn't let Lucky down.

Reporter Valerie Kalfrin can be reached at (813) 259-7800 or vkalfrin@tampatrib.com.

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