Saddlin’ Up

LPD’s Mounted Unit Gets Ready For Debut

After more than two years of work and fundraising, the Lexington Police Department’s mounted unit will be making its official debut in downtown Lexington on April 27.

The public will be invited to meet the two horses in the city’s mounted unit, Buddy and Ginger, and talk with their riders at several locations downtown, starting at Hopkins Green at 10 a.m. that day.

The creation of a mounted unit was approved by the Lexington City Council in January of 2022 and work has been ongoing to make the proposed unit a reality.

A nonprofit, Lexington Mounted Unit Inc., was established to help with fundraising for the unit, and Lexington Police Chief Angela Greene and several members of the non-profit’s board gave a presentation to members of Lexington City Council at its regular business meeting on Feb. 15, telling them about the debut and all of the fundraising that had been done so far.

To date more than $56,000 has been raised for the unit. A third of the donations have come from individual contributions from citizens and an additional 15 percent has come from local businesses. Additionally, several in-kind donations have been made to the mounted unit, including a 10-stall barn and two acres of land from the Virginia Horse Center to house and train the horses, hay donated by Mack Smith of Smith Farms, and vaccinations by Dr. Walter Logan of Well Pet Group.

The idea to bring a mounted unit to Virginia was proposed by Chief Greene, who told The News-Gazette that she is encouraged by the amount of support the mounted unit has received so far.

“This is my third police department, and I’ve never seen such great community support and collaboration between the community and the police department,” she said. “For so many individuals to invest their time, talent and treasure to bring about a mounted unit that they believe will enrich and enhance the quality of life for so many individuals throughout the city of Lexington, but also be a public safety benefit that can help with crowd control, crime prevention [and] crime reduction, that they want to voluntarily be a part of and put money into this program, it’s amazing. It helps me continue on this path forward to know that this is something that the community wants.

“When people put money out of their pockets into a program that doesn’t even exist yet just to get it up and going, that says a lot about the trust and the support have in this police department and that speaks volumes,” she added. “To me, that is the driving force of why we will continue and … the reason that I know that this program is going to be such a great asset to this city and all the neighboring jurisdictions.”

In the presentation to City Council, Greene also listed several of the benefits to having a mounted unit in the police department, noting that several studies have detailed the “unmatched crowd control techniques exercised by mounted units, which quickly disperse large, unruly crowds, usually without injury or incident to citizens and law enforcement.”

She also pointed out that in many cities with mounted patrol units, crime rates have gone down in the areas the units patrol. Would-be criminals can time patrol cars and know how much time they have to commit their crime, and an officer on horseback can maneuver down alleyways, narrow streets, and other areas that are not accessible to vehicles.

A mounted officer could also aid in search and rescue operations in areas that are not easily accessible by vehicles, including in the parks and trails in and around the city.

“Horses not only have the sight advantage and ease of movement in these remote areas, but the added capability of carrying first aid supplies in the need of immediate medical attention if required,” Greene told Council.

Several members of the nonprofit’s board and of the general public addressed City Council at the Feb. 15 meeting to express their support for the mounted unit.

“We are horse country,” said Mona Hazera, who lives on Jackson Avenue. “This is part of what we are. And I think tourists are going to be really awed when they see the mounted unit around town.”

“I whole-heartedly support this unit,” added Ann Hopkins of Colonial Lane. “It increases trust, communication and respect of our police department. I believe it will be good for tourism and a talking point for visitors. It gives an additional historic look to our historic and beautiful and peaceful community.”

The presentation also included responses from several local business owners to a survey asking for their thoughts on having a mounted unit in Lexington.

“I think it would add to the charm and uniqueness of the area, just like the carriages,” one business owner said.

“Can’t wait to see them downtown! I hope they are out and about a lot!” added another.

“Police horses would also be ambassadors for our police department,” said a third. “The horses ‘soften’ people and provide a friendlier connection between the police and the public.”

During the presentation, Greene also noted that people don’t usually walk up to an officer in a patrol car to ask what the car’s name is. “Horses are natural magnets that attract people of all ages to spark a conversation,” she said.

The community engagement aspect is one that the two officers in the unit, Lt. Cherie Padgett and Officer Steven Stewart, told The News-Gazette that they are most excited about.

“I thrive off that kind of interaction,” Stewart said. “And just to bond with the horses as well and to generate a relationship with them that hopefully will continue for years. I think it’s going to be a very rewarding experience.”

“It gives us a chance to form individual relationships with our citizens, and to form that trust, [for] when things are bad or go bad or they just have a question,” Padgett added. “We have so many times where people don’t reach out to us, but we’re hoping this will open some doors.”

Padgett, who has been with the Lexington Police Department since 2005, was the first officer in the department Greene asked to be a part of the mounted unit and has spent much of her life around horses.

“I’ve been riding horses my whole life, and the fact that I could tie my hobby into my career, I thought that’s a win-win for me,” she said.

Stewart, on the other hand, is new to both the Lexington Police Department – he joined the department last March – and to working with horses. When he was interviewing to join the department, Greene asked if he would be interested in being part of the mounted unit.

“I was very interested in it,” he said. “I’ve always loved animals in general. I didn’t grow up with the horse culture that Lieutenant Padgett has, but I have a lot of respect for them.”

To get the units two horses ready to patrol, Padgett and Stewart have been exposing them to items and noises they might encounter while patrolling in Lexington, both during events and on their own. The goal is to get them used to things they might encounter on a regular basis, such as umbrellas, balloons, and baby strollers. Stewart and Padgett are doing some training of their own too, working with Tish Vest of Wind Horse Farm in Natural Bridge on a number of areas including riding, horse care and horse safety.

“It’s exciting,” Stewart said. “I view this as a great opportunity, to work with these horses. And there is a little pressure with some deadlines coming along, but I work well under those circumstances, I think. I’m just trying to be a sponge right now and pick up everything I can from Lieutenant Padgett and my teacher, Tish Vest, at the other barn. I feel like I’m in good hands. They’re always there with answers to any questions, no matter how small.”

A big part of the training, Padgett added, is about building a familiarity between the horse and the rider, so the horse knows what the rider is expecting, and the rider can know if the horse gets upset or goes on alert.

“If we’re out riding in the evening, they’re liable to see something before us,” she said. “So if someone darts between a house or something, the horse will raise their heads, raise their ears and we’ll learn what each horse does on certain things, so it just makes for an overall great experience.”

In response to questions from City Council about the potential expansion of the mounted unit, Greene said that the eventual plan is to add two more horses to the unit to “lessen the wear and tear on [Buddy and Ginger]. We want to take care of the horses.”

She told the News-Gazette that, while fundraising is ongoing, they aren’t actively looking for the other horses yet and are instead focusing on getting Buddy and Ginger, as well as Stewart and Padgett, ready for the April 27 debut.