Delaware: The New Castle County Police Department's mounted patrol unit is made up of Clydesdales

DELAWARE -- Although there are numerous mounted patrol units around the country, I have never seen one consisting of nearly all Clydesdales and draft horses. Horses, of course, are always a draw to children and adults alike.. and when you see an officer on a 'Budweiser horse' it makes it even more special.

The New Castle County Police Department's Mounted Patrol Unit (MPU) was established in 1981 and is the only full-duty working mounted patrol in Delaware.

It deploys teams of officers and horses on a daily basis throughout New Castle County to enforce traffic laws, patrol high-crime neighborhoods, perform terrain searches, and aid in crowd control.

In addition, the public’s intrigue with the horses provides a unique opportunity for vital public relations within communities, local schools, businesses, and other organizations.

Happy July 4th!

Related links: 

• New Castle County Police Department (Facebook)
• Friends of the Mounted Patrol
• Friends of the Mounted Patrol, New Castle County, DE (Facebook)

Australia: Dramatic moment Clydesdale stranded in chest-deep human waste is hoisted out of a septic tank

AUSTRALIA -- This is the dramatic moment a traumatised horse is pulled from a septic tank after becoming trapped.

The five-year-old Clydesdale had fallen into a sewage pit on a hot, summer day and could not get out.

 

 

Only the male's head and right front leg poke out from the pit as he remains chest-deep in human waste.

Four State Emergency Service volunteers were called to the scene at Grose Vale, on Sydney's north-western outskirts, to rescue the male gelding.

A towel is wrapped around its eyes before ropes are attached to its body.

 

Video footage shows emergency crews using a bridle to direct it from the pit in the ground.

A green plastic mat wrapped around the horse's body is also used to haul the animal out with ropes.

After several attempts, the horse is hoisted out and put on another plastic mat.

'Good boy,' a man said after the sewage-covered horse was rescued.

With a few moments, it is standing on all four legs.

 

(Daily Mail - Feb 23, 2017)

Pennsylvania: Budweiser Clydesdale horse photobombs police officers during photo

PENNSYLVANIA -- At a 9/11 Memorial Heroes Run, a Clydesdale photobombed a group of officers posing for a photo. Kim Supko, of Kim Supko Photography, captured the hilarious moment on camera.

 The 9/11 Memorial Run was dedicated to never forgetting those who suffered loss and tragedy on 9/11 and the wars since then combating terrorism around the globe.

Supko told News of the Horse –

"I was taking photos at the 9/11 Heroes Run on September 11th in Norristown, PA organized by Montgomery County Hero Fund and Sean Cullen.

"Days later as I was editing over 500 pictures I got to this group of local Police Officers from local townships and our Sheriff’s Department and could not believe my eyes as I looked closer.

"Best part is the officer 2nd in from the right is a very good friend of my family. I am astounded by the thousands of shares this photos has had and so happy to make others smile by sharing. Make it a great day!"

 

(News of the Horse - Sept 25, 2016)

California: With help from goat, wily Clydesdale goes on lam for 5 days

CALIFORNIA -- A 1,900-pound fugitive dressed in a brown coat and white fetlocks was finally captured Sunday afternoon after a five-day spree in the Santa Cruz Mountains.

The desperado, a Clydesdale horse named Budweiser, or “Buddy” for short, broke out of his pen in the area of Laurel Road near Highway 17. He was busted out by his best friend, Lancelot, a Nigerian dwarf billy goat, according to owner Tamara Schmitz.

“Last Wednesday I closed the gate to the horse pen with Lancelot still inside. He’s figured out that if I don’t lock the gate he can ram it open if he butts it a few times. So that’s what happened,” said Schmitz.

A second Clydesdale named Harry also escaped, but Harry got thirsty, wandered into a nearby meadow and was captured the next day.

Buddy had different plans.

“Buddy’s very elusive. He’s not like other horses. He’s not attracted by meadows and other horses. He can stay hidden,” Schmitz said.

And stay hidden he did. For the next five days, Buddy escaped detection as he ranged across a 3-mile area from Schulties Road to Redwood Lodge Road to Laurel Road.

“One of the neighbors heard him snorting across the ravine one night. The next night someone saw him at Redwood Lodge. But by the time we would arrive, we would only find his tracks,” said Schmitz.

Schmitz said she received a great deal of help from the entire community. Volunteers from as far away as Boulder Creek, Santa Cruz and Hollister joined the posse. They hiked the ravines, rode horseback and drove nearby roads calling his name.

Schmitz even brought Harry and Lancelot out to see if the smell of his friends could coax him into the open. No dice. Buddy wasn’t falling for it.

Every day from 7 a.m until to dark, Schmitz and her posse combed the rugged area, praying that Buddy would stay away from Highway 17. Sunday, they caught a break.

“Two members of the posse caught sight of him while riding by on horseback. He was hiding in some Manzanita about a mile from the house,” Schmitz said.

Just like that, Buddy’s run was over.

“When we got him back in the pen, he was particularly frisky and playful and happy,” Schmitz said. “I think he was glad to be back.”

(Santa Cruz Sentinel - Aug 28, 2016)

North Dakota: Weekend family horse-drawn wagon hayride turns tragic

NORTH DAKOTA -- A Wolford family known for its horse-drawn wagon rides is grieving after a weekend ride turned tragic.

When Landon Halvorson first saw the pickup that was approaching the wagon he and his family was riding Saturday afternoon, it was about a mile behind the hayride.

The family had just pulled out of their farmstead with a wagon pulled by two Clydesdales.

“We had Clydesdales as a hobby,” he said. “We used to tour with them. We were going to take them out for a ride.”

The family was known for its Clydesdale team and wagon

The part of North Dakota Highway 17 they were driving east on, about 1½ miles west of Wolford, is flat, but there is a gradual hill west of the family’s turnoff.

His father, 61-year-old Lyman Halvorson, pulled the wagon to the shoulder of the highway to let the pickup pass, but as the pickup drove east down a gradual hill, it didn’t appear to slow down, Landon Halvorson, 29, said.

“I kept an eye on it,” he told the Herald. “It wasn’t slowing down. It wasn’t turning on its blinker and it got closer and closer.”

When he realized the pickup was going to hit the wagon, he jumped. His 25-year-old wife, Sierra, jumped after him.

Seconds later, the three-quarter ton pickup truck driven by 75-year-old Lyle Lima of Wolford slammed into the back of the wagon, sending the other passengers flying off the hayride.

“It’s beyond something I would have ever imagined,” Landon Halvorson said. “It feels like it’s not real.”

The wagon was destroyed, said Lt. Troy Hischer, northeast regional commander for the North Dakota Highway Patrol. The Clydesdales were both killed in the crash.

Landon and Sierra Halvorson escaped injury, but the other wagon passengers, included their 4-year-old daughter, Amiyah, needed immediate medical assistance.

Amiyah was airlifted to Minot’s Trinity Hospital. She now is in Children’s Hospital in Minneapolis with severe injuries, including two broken legs and bruised lungs. Her vitals are stable, but she will need surgery to reset her legs, Landon Halvorson said. She also is being monitored for brain swelling and bleeding.

Sierra Halvorson’s parents, Bradley and Margaret Cichos, both of Rugby, N.D., also were thrown from the wagon. Margaret Cichos, 51, was first taken to Towner County Hospital in Cando, N.D., before being flown to Altru Hospital in Grand Forks. She now is being treated for multiple injuries in a Minneapolis hospital, though she appears to be recovering.

Bradley Cichos, 53, died at the scene.

Lyman Halvorson, who was taken to Rolla (N.D.) Hospital before being airlifted to Trinity Hospital, is responsive but his vitals are unstable, according to a GoFundMe post set up to cover expenses for the family.

Still, he has made small improvements.

“He’s talking,” Landon Halvorson said. “He took his own breathing tube out himself (Monday) morning.”

Lyman Halvorson’s 18-year-old daughter, Kenzie, was taken to the Rugby Hospital, but she was released Saturday with a fractured foot, several cuts and a broken nose.

Lima, who the Herald could not reach for comment, was uninjured.

Highway 17 has a speed limit of 65 mph, but Lima told state troopers he wasn’t speeding, Hischer said. The gradual slope of the hill was not a factor in the crash, and there is nothing to indicate there were any visual obstructions, he added.

Horse-drawn wagons and distracted, speeding drivers can
lead to tragedy as this photo shows a wagon which
was struck by an SUV in 2012 in Casper, WY.

Lima was not on his phone and alcohol was not involved in the crash, but it’s likely he may have been looking out into a nearby field, which would have distracted him from seeing the wagon, Hischer said.

“We will be doing some more work on the truck just to confirm what he told us,” he said. “We don’t believe he was doing anything out of the ordinary other than he didn’t see the hayride.”

The crash still is under investigation, but based on the witness statements, it is likely no charges will be filed in the case, Hischer said.

“It’s just a tragic accident,” he said.

Wagons are allowed on the roadway in North Dakota, and the state does not have a minimal speed, but drivers should beware of their surroundings, including vehicles that are traveling slowly.

“We are a farming community and (drivers) need to be watching for slower-moving vehicles at all times,” Hischer said. “It’s not necessarily just about hayrides. It’s everything that can be on the road legally.”

“Slow vehicles are all over this time of year,” he added. “You close on a slow-moving vehicle so fast.”

The Halvorsons are holding up “as good as they can” for the situation they are in, Landon Halvorson said. Though there seems to be some uncertainty with how the injuries will affect Amiyah, it seems like everyone who survived the accident will recover from their injuries, he said. However, the road to recovery will be long, he added.

Several GoFundMe sites were set up Monday for the victims of the crash. By Tuesday afternoon, the Amiyah Jo page, which can be found at www.gofundme.com/272xrb8, raised $2,550. The Cichos Family Medical Fund, which will cover medical expenses for Margaret Cichos and funeral expenses for Brad Cichos, had raised $4,460 and can be found at www.gofundme.com/272mpjmg. The Halvorson Family Medical Fund at www.gofundme.com/27fug77f had raised $9,135.

(Grand Forks herald - May 31, 2016)

Georgia: Teen hailed a hero for rescuing family's Clydesdales from burning barn

GEORGIA -- A teen saved more than a dozen Clydesdales, including a 3-week-old foal, from a burning barn about 60 miles east of Atlanta.

At about 2 a.m. Thursday, lightning struck the horse barn at Classic City Clydesdales.

“It shook the whole house," said Shannon Martin, who owns the farm with her husband, Mark. "One minute I am in bed. The next minute I am standing up next to the bed trying to figure out what bomb went off.”

 

It rattled the horses, especially the 3-week-old trapped inside with more than a dozen others. With flames all around, the barn doors were locked and the power was out.

“We could not get the large overheads open,” she said.

That's when their 16-year-old son, Macon Martin, jumped into action.

“I just ran right out. I had no clothes on, no shoes, no nothing,” he said. “I just jumped in our Gator and I just ran it right into the door.”

 

He used the John Deere utility vehicle like an action hero, his mom said.

“He busted through like Rambo and opened up the end of the stalls and said, 'Mom, this way,' " she said. "And we were able to push the horses out that way."

All of the Clydesdales, a breed of draft horse most famous for starring in Budweiser commercials, are doing fine — including Phoebe. She’s expecting a foal, and her due date was Thursday.

 

The barn is a total loss.

“It will take some time to rebuild," Shannon Martin said. "This was a dream. We saved and built it brick by brick. We’ll have to start over.”

But their horses, which travel to events and parades across the USA, will be starting over with them.

 

 

“Big horses everybody thinks (are) real tough," she said. "but Clydes are sort of the beauty queens of the draft horse world. They can be pretty fragile.”

(WFMY - Feb 26, 2016)

No charges filed in Huntington Clydesdale deaths

INDIANA -- The Huntington County prosecutor has decided not to file charges in the case of a handful of dead horses found on a well-known farm. While the prosecutor said there wasn’t enough evidence to charge the owner with neglect, at least one Huntington official is disappointed with the decision.

In March, Huntington County Animal Control officer Lori Vanover said an anonymous tip led authorities to a handful of dead and malnourished Clydesdale horses.  

All of the horses belonged to Grandview Clydesdales. At the time, owner Shannon Cobbs told NewsChannel 15 the horses died because of the harsh winter. Vanover and the State Board of Animal Health investigated the incident.

After looking over the investigation, Prosecutor Amy Richison made the decision not to file any charges regarding the living horses said to be malnourished.

“There was just no evidence that those animals were in a state that they were not taken care of,” Richison said.

The owner says that a "harsh winter" in Indiana killed the five horses. He
doesn't explain why FIVE Clydesdales couldn't handle Indiana winters.

On top of that, Richison said Animal Control decided not to get necropsies done (the animal form of an autopsy) on the dead horses.

“We could not file charges because we don’t know how these animals died,” Richison said.

Vanover is disappointed with Richison’s decision. She said necropsies weren’t done because some of the dead horses were fairly decomposed.  State leaders explained that necropsies are rare because they take a lot of time, effort, and money.

The horse owners were not charged with improper disposal of an animal either.  Richison said that’s because they came back and properly disposed of the bodies as soon as they learned of the deaths.

In the end, Richison said not everyone will like her decision, but she can only go off of the evidence she receives.

“When you have any kind of dead animal on someone’s property, we automatically assume that it’s the owner’s lack of attention to that animal that caused the animal’s death,” Richison said. “I can’t make assumptions in my job. I have to look at the evidence [handed] to me. And the evidence presented was there was no explanation for the two dead animals on the property.”

There are still discrepancies as to how many Clydesdales were found dead. In March, Vanover said authorities recovered five that had died. But Richison said the investigation took into account two dead horses, and a third that had to be euthanized.

Wednesday, Denise Derrer with the State Board of Animal Health said investigators initially accounted for two dead horses and the third euthanized horse in their investigation.  Derrer said a fourth horse was found after their investigation but was never assessed by the State Board of Animal Health. She said according to the state’s investigation, a fifth horse was reported missing and was never accounted for.

(WANE - Aug 13, 2014)

Earlier:

• How many horses have to die before authorities remove the rest?

How many horses have to die before authorities remove the rest?

INDIANA -- Another Clydesdale horse has been found dead near a Huntington County farm where four others died two weeks ago.

Huntington County Animal Control Officer Lori Vanover says the horse was found Thursday in Lynn Creek Waterway, downstream from the farm.

Animal control officials have since removed from the horse from the creek, and will bury the horse.

All five horses share the same owner, who had entrusted the care of the horses to someone else, Vanover says.

On Mar. 14, authorities received an anonymous tip that a number of horses were either dead or malnourished on the property, Vanover says. Officials found two horses dead, and had to euthanize a third.

[So two weeks ago they found suffering and dead animals -- and left this one behind to suffer in agonizing pain for two whole weeks until it died as well. Good job morons.]

The owner has been cooperative during the investigation, she adds.

Vanover and the Indiana State Board of Animal Health will file reports with the Huntington County Sheriff's Department. From there, the sheriff's department will forward the case onto the Huntington County Prosecutor's Office for review.

(Indiana's NewsCenter - Mar 28, 2014)

Tilles Park Clydesdale horse dies while pulling carriage

MISSOURI -- A sad event at a most unfortunate time:  that is what most are calling the death of a carriage horse Saturday night in the middle of the Winter Wonderland Christmas Light display in Tilles Park.

A witness in the carriage the horse was pulling tells Fox 2 the animal began acting strangely a few minutes after pulling into the light display, then fell.  The horse died moments later.

Jerry Kirk, the owner of Brookdale farms who provides the carriages, says the horse essentially had a heart attack.  He got the call moments after it happened.

“Obviously you get the big lump in your throat and want to see what’s going on.  Of course I’m right there on site, and I had personally just loaded the people on the carriage like four minutes prior to that.”

The horse, named King, was 22 year old Clydesdale.  Kirk purchased him four years ago, possibly saving him from going to slaughter.  He had reached a fairly advanced age for a horse so large.  Kirk says King had shown no signs of distress, and was only worked a couple of days a week due to his age.  He was also checked regularly by a veterinarian, just like all the horses at the stable.

“The thing about these draft horses is they live to do this.  That’s what they’re bred for.  That’s what they’re here for.  They love their work. They love to be out in the public.  They get all the attention.”

County officials say the incident was simply unavoidable.

Acting Parks Director Tom Ott issued a statement saying, “According to eyewitness accounts, the horse stopped, stretched and went down of an apparent heart attack. We are saddened by the loss of this beautiful animal but truly believe it died of natural causes.

“St. Louis County Parks works with Brookdale to ensure that the horses are being taken care of and aren’t in danger, especially during inclement weather.  Our parks staff makes sure roads are cleared of any snow or ice, and we have even cancelled the event on occasions when roads would put the public or the horses in danger. During Winter Wonderland at Tilles Park thousands of carriage rides are provided each year, and this is only the second time in our 28 years of the event that a horse has been lost.”

In this case, Kirk says it appears to have just been the horse’s time.

“Anytime you have animals sometimes things like this will happen.  And when it does happen in this kind of a situation it’s really, really bad.  It’s bad for us. It’s bad for the public. It’s bad for the people there.  But it’s just a part of life.”

We spoke to the Missouri Humane Society, and officials there also say the death appears to have been of natural causes.  No one we spoke to is alleging any sort of wrongdoing.

(FOX2NOW - Dec 23, 2013)

Animal abuser's property raided again

PENNSYLVANIA -- SPCA officials and state police were on Derbe Eckhart's Upper Milford Township property Saturday, four days after Eckhart, who was convicted of animal cruelty in 2010, was charged with violating his probation by hoarding animals.

On Monday, parole officers visiting his former Almost Heaven Kennel at 4202 Chestnut St. discovered more than 200 animals, authorities have said.

Eckhart (aka Derbe "Skip" Eckhart) was released from prison 18 months ago after serving 9-1/2 months for cruelty to animals.

Under the terms of his probation, he is permitted only to have some personal pets, though it's not clear how many and specifically what type of animals he's allowed.

Eckhart has had a state menagerie permit since 2008, before the animal cruelty violations were discovered, that allows him to have monkeys.

The probation office said it found three monkeys in addition to 177 birds, including 30 chickens, five peacocks, two turkeys and two geese; 22 horses, including Clydesdales; four goats; three donkeys; and too many cats to count, according to a news release issued this week by Lehigh County's court administrator.

It's not clear why the SPCA and state police were on the property Saturday.

Rebecca Glenn-Dinwoodie of the SPCA declined to comment about the investigation. She said officials would provide details at a later time.

A neighbor said authorities arrived Saturday morning, followed by newspaper and television reporters.

She said she hoped the current enforcement effort would be more successful than the previous prosecution of Eckhart, whose property has been the source of unease in the area for years.

No hearing date has been set for Eckhart on the probation violation. He is free on $10,000 bail.

(Allentown Morning Call - Sept 21, 2013)

Offspring Of Anheuser Busch Clydesdale Rescued From Two Abusive Homes

OHIO -- A horse is recovering after being rescued from two abusive homes.

Danny, the son of an Anheuser Busch Clydesdale, was rescued by the Ohio Society for the Prevention of Cruelty To Animals.

Officials said that Danny was abused and starved when they found him at an Ohio farm. He was 500 pounds under weight, his skin was infected and he was starving to death.

“Danny didn’t make the big time,” said Teresa Landon, the director of the Ohio SPCA. “He didn’t make the Budweiser team. But he was in the Kentucky Derby parade. But we think he’s made the big time now, because he is safe.”

Danny now lives at an Ohio SPCA farm sanctuary, where he will stay for the rest of his life.

(10tv.com - Feb 3, 2013)

12/14/12: Team of 25 firefighters save horse from icy river

UNITED KINGDOM -- A team 25 firefighters battled for three hours yesterday to save the life of a horse that slipped on an icy bank and plunged into a freezing river.

Corra the black Clydesdale was stranded up to her neck in the River Leven and faced certain death from exposure unless rescuers could shift her one-tonne bulk from the waters.

Eight fire crews raced to the scene of the accident near Leven, Fife, and worked in near-darkness and low temperatures to pull terrified Corra from the river.

At one stage, rescuers narrowly avoided serious injury as the panicked animal kicked out with its powerful back legs.

Even after finally rescuing the horse, rescuers feared she might die as a result of cold and shock but vets were confident last night she would make a full recovery.

The three-year-old fell down an icy bank on the edge of a field where it was grazing and may have been in the water for several hours before she was discovered at 7am.

Corra was unable to get out of the river because she was stuck fast in submerged tree branches.

To make matters worse, Corra was trapped partly on her side so the four feet of flowing water came up to her neck.

 

Watched by Corra’s distraught owner, Rose Currie, 50, a brave rescuer went into the water to attach ropes to the animal so that teams on the bank could pull her clear.

But because Corra was in such an awkward position, and so heavy, it took the combined muscle power of two dozen firefighters to drag her clear of the tree and out of the water.

The exhausted creature, lying on her side, had to be surrounded by rescuers to stop her rolling back into the water. Terrified, she kicked with her legs and rescuers were forced to jump clear.

 

Even after Corra had been calmed down, the team faced the considerable challenge of hauling her up 6ft-high slope.

Rose was too upset to speak about the incident having lost another of her beloved horses as a result of a broken leg earlier in the year.

But Margaret Horn, who helps out on West Meetings Farm where the accident happened, told how she raised the alarm.

The 34-year-old said: “I discovered Corra in the water and called the fire fighters around 7am. They have done an absolutely fantastic job. I have no idea how long she was in the water before I saw her. I think she probably just slipped in this morning because of the ice.

“It was so challenging, especially with her being stuck under the tree. We just felt useless with her being stuck on her side. She’s a big lassie to be pulled out, she weighs about a tonne. I just feel so relieved and ecstatic that she’s out and safe now.”

Cora, with her owner, has since recovered and was
moved to a different pasture

She added: “Rose just lost her other horse earlier this year with a broken leg so is obviously upset. She thought she was going to lose Corra at one point today during the rescue.”

John Stewart, the vet on the rescue team, said: “She’s doing very well, it’s been a really good outcome.

“We were worried but the blood supply is back to her tissues and muscles so she is walking about. Now we just need to get her warmed up and fed but it’s looking good.”

Dave Latto, a Group Manager with Fife and Rescue, led the team.

Hero firefighters who helped save Cora

He said: “We were very keen to get her out of the water. We had special water rescuers, animal rescuers and the vet down here to help. She was in a very precarious position and we didn’t want her rolling back down into the water when she tried to get back on her feet.

“There are 25 fire fighters here but this is not a normal occurrence to rescue horses.

“She’s seems to be fine now which is great.”

(Deadline News - Dec 14, 2012)