Road Warrior

French Empire wasn’t a standout on the track. In 12 career starts the bay Thoroughbred colt tallied one win, one second place, and one third place finish and earned just under $13,000. But Frenchie, as he’s now known, is flourishing in his new job. The 11 year-old gelding was adopted from the Florida Thoroughbred Retirement Farm by the Orlando Police Department Mounted Patrol Unit in July 2008. After months of training and conditioning, Frenchie is hard at work patrolling the Orlando streets and maintaining the peace at large city events.

After retiring several older mounted patrol horses last summer, the Orlando Police Department found itself in need of a new mounted patrol horse. A chance phone call from the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Owners’ Association introduced the Orlando Police Department to the Florida Thoroughbred Retirement Farm. OPD has specific criteria for their mounted patrol horses: they prefer sound geldings 16 hands or taller, specifically bays so as to maintain a uniform look. Upon learning that many of the horses at the retirement farm meet that criteria, officers from the mounted patrol unit planned a visit to the Ocala-area farm.

“Frenchie made an impression from the very beginning,” said Sgt. Michelle Pearson of OPD’s mounted Patrol Unit. “He is the right height and color for our unit, and a good temperament for police work. He is curious and brave. But what convinced us to take him home was his conformation and the feel of riding him. He also has a low center of gravity; he feels very safe.”

While he met the mental criteria for a police horse, physically Frenchie needed some conditioning to get in shape for his new job. During his time at the Florida Thoroughbred Retirement Farm, Frenchie passed much of his days grazing in live oak studded pastures with his stable mates. As a police horse, he needed to be ready for long hours on patrol. As the weeks progressed and officers continued his conditioning work, his stamina and fitness improved.

Mounted patrol officers at OPD work with trick horse trainer Gibb Stepp to desensitize the horses and prepare them for work on city streets. Stepp, who has a background training horses for television and movie roles, teaches horses and officers how to handle a myriad of obstacles. The horses are taught to walk on teeter totters, on mattresses, and through tires lying on the ground. They are exposed to smoke, sprinklers, sirens, gun fire, fountains, firecrackers, metal grates in roads, playground equipment, and suspension bridges.

By October, OPD Officer Jeff Angel was taking Frenchie on short daytime patrols accompanied by an experienced rider and a seasoned patrol horse. The horse’s big test came at the Florida Classic, the annual football game between rivals Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University and Bethune-Cookman University held at Orlando’s Citrus Bowl Stadium Nov. 21-22. When some of the more experienced patrol horses couldn’t work the event, the officers saddled Frenchie.

Sergeant Pearson explained that Frenchie flourished in a less than hospitable environment.

“We started the weekend event by working an eight hour shift Friday night in downtown Orlando,” she said. “This was the first night Frenchie had worked after dark, and the first time we asked him to ‘push a crowd.’ This was not an ordinary crowd, but one of probably 7,000 or 8,000 people. Maybe [it was] not fair of us to ask so much in one night, but after his response to our training, we had every confidence in him. He performed like a true veteran, and outshined some of our other seasoned horses.

“Saturday night – game day – was an exceptionally long shift for horses and officers alike,” Pearson continued. “We were in the saddle by 4:30 p.m., working the Citrus Bowl. There were an estimated 60,000 people who attended the actual Florida Classic game, then an additional 100,000 people outside the game. After the game is when the real police work starts for us.

“We were assigned to monitor the vendor areas,” Pearson said. “After dark, a large street party began, with people dancing and flashing gang signs. Frenchie was one of three horses there, and we began to break up the crowd. Frenchie was hit with the first bottle thrown at us. He flinched, but did not react any more than that. Another officer saw the bottle hit at the croup, and advised Officer Angel. He and his rider were hit with rocks or bottles four times. Frenchie did not hesitate when asked to move aggressively into the crowd. What a champ!”

Later that evening, the officers moved to downtown to clear the streets after the bars closed. The crowd was estimated to be 12,000 to 15,000.

“Once again, Frenchie just put his head down and pushed the crowd like he’s done it his whole life. I couldn’t be any more proud of him,” Pearson said.

Angel explained that one of Frenchie’s best characteristics is his ability to switch gears quickly. “I can ask him to push an aggressive crowd one minute, and then the next minute he’ll stand quietly to let a child pet him,” Angel said. “He’s very calm and affectionate.”

Florida Thoroughbred Retirement Farm manager John Evans was not surprised to hear that his former charge is excelling in his new career.

“French Empire was a quiet horse, and he seemed well suited to police work,” Evans said. “This is the first horse from our farm that’s gone onto law enforcement, but we have about 12 other horses at the farm that would also be good candidates for that kind of work.”

Officer Angel agrees that the Florida Thoroughbred Retirement Farm is a source for a potential mounted patrol horse.

“We tell everyone where Frenchie came from,” Angel said. “I’d definitely recommend other mounted patrol units to check the Florida Thoroughbred Retirement Farm the next time they need a new horses. Frenchie has come so far in such a short time. He’s exceeded everyone’s expectations.”