Little Rock adds mounted patrol - Airman's World - 314th Security Forces Squadron

Airman, April, 2003 by Chyenne Griffin

Little Rock Air Force Base, Ark. -- The 314th Mission Support Group brought new additions to Task Force Rock--three horses for the new 314th Security Forces Squadron mounted patrol.

The horse patrol covers a designated area of the base every day and focuses on remote areas of the perimeter, wooded areas behind housing and hunting areas that normally don't receive routine law enforcement coverage.

"Horses can go where vehicles can't--where even all-terrain vehicles get stuck--and cover ground possibly not traversable by foot," said Staff Sgt. Cherri Allen, 314th Security Forces Squadron mounted patrol trainer. "Things that are normally obstacles to people and vehicles are not obstacles to these horses."

It took about 90 days from concept approval to having three certified horses and riders at the base. The horses were named Leadership Teamwork and Growth after the Task Force Rock vision. Leadership made the journey from Colorado, while Growth and Teamwork hailed from Fayetteville and El Paso, Ark, respectively.

"We were very selective in finding horses with the right temperament, size, and standardized color and appearance," said Col. Kyle Lundberg, 314th Security Forces Squadron commander.

After that, the unit had to order saddles, tack, and other riding and safety equipment. The mounted patrol will soon be riding in a new authorized riding uniform with helmet, riding boots, navy-blue breeches and a light-blue top, similar in appearance to a blues uniform combination.

The security forces mounted patrol was originally used at Clark Air Base in the Philippines and later at Howard Air Base in Panama. Those horses are currently in use at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif.

"I'd seen those horses in action while [on temporary duty] and saw firsthand the benefit of using them in remote areas of an air base," Lundberg said. "Our horse patrol operates seven days a week and is a fully integrated unit of the flight on duty, responding to calls and actively patrolling throughout the installation."

A mounted unit from the Dallas Police Department volunteered to train the seven mounted patrol members in two weeks. The mounted patrol learned basic care and maintenance of the horses and equipment, riding skills and proper police procedures from a mounted position, including handcuff and search tactics. The riders and horses also received advanced sensory training, desensitizing the horses to loud noises and other events that could startle them.

"The sensory training was the most complex because the horse had to learn to ignore gunfire, sirens and other stimuli and to focus on the rider, while the riders had to learn to control the horse no matter what was going on around them," Allen said. "Your main goal is to stay in the saddle at all times, so you really have to learn how to control the entire situation--yourself, the horse and the suspect--from the saddle."

By providing a higher vantage point and the ability to move into uncertain situations quickly, horses are a highly effective tool in the area of law enforcement and crowd control. Similar to military working dog teams, the horse and rider must be properly trained and certified by the 314th Mission Support Group commander prior to working patrol.