By Sean Mathis
For Reporting Texas

This feature is the second in a series about the horse-human connection in the 21st century. The first story in the series can be found here.

A relaxed atmosphere permeates the stables where the Austin Mounted Patrol keeps its horses, running counter to most preconceptions about rigid police attitudes. At the facility, located in northeast Austin, officers nuzzle their geldings, or groom them leisurely, building trust and rapport. It wasn’t always this way.

The main function of the unit is crowd control every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night in Austin’s popular Sixth Street entertainment district. While they are rarely faced with riot situations, officers are called upon occasionally to form a box around emergency medical technicians as they work on the injured in an overly curious crowd, or to protect officers on foot while they make an arrest.

“It’s believed that a trained officer on horseback is equivalent up to 10 officers on foot in a crowd control situation,” said Sergeant Anthony French, who has run the unit since 2007. “People naturally respect a horse’s space. When you start moving your horse toward somebody, it’s human nature to get out of the way.”

The imposing size of the man/horse combination is also effective to the point where more violent or intrusive means of coercion (batons, pepper spray, etc.) are rendered unnecessary.

The Austin unit was started around 1985 by a collection of officers who worked on Sixth Street. At first, they used their own steeds, supplies and facilities because the department made no contributions. That changed when the advantages of having these officers with an extra three to four feet of height and a thousand pounds of mass soon became evident.

“They saw the need for horses to help with crowd control situations because (the scene) was getting bigger and bigger,” Sgt. French said.

Another Austin officer, Richard Hubbard, explained that horses, like humans, have brain hemispheres that process information differently, with “right side being, ‘Run like hell!’ and left side, they have to think about it.”

“Predator and prey have to work together somehow,” Officer Hubbard said, “so you want a horse that thinks a little bit. We want the fear to be short-lived. But he added: “We don’t want them to be a deadhead horse either.”

A balance between the two is desired, and the word most officers mention first is curiosity. However, two of their horses, Levi and Rocky, have grown callous after been forced into action over so many years to the extent that they withdraw. That is less than ideal for both horse and rider. The bulk of their time was served under the old-style method of training mentality of “Make ‘em! Make ‘em!” as Sgt. French refers to it.

Just as the officers need to be trained in basic “equitation,” so too must the horses be prepared to capably handle countless potentially frightening situations that may arise at any time. The horse’s hypersensitive and reactionary nature cannot be predicted, as it does have its benefits, but one can teach the animal that certain things are not worth its attention. For that reason, Officer Hubbard stresses the importance of keeping both parties’ minds calm and alert, and their attention focused on points beyond any potential distractions or “threats” (even a plastic bag or a flag can be mistaken for a villain). This is especially true for the police horses, as their life and the life of their rider may truly depend on it.

The unit’s secondary function is rough terrain search (as in the Green Belt that runs through Austin), where the height of the officer and the sure-footedness of the horse greatly improve the chances of locating evidence or people who have gone missing.

The last duty is that of ambassadors between the department and the public, and the officers appear at schools and other events once a month. Sgt. French pushed for this in a savvy appeal to bolster the image of not only the department, but to showcase the obvious advantage that his unit has over most others. At the police training center, hundreds of Boy Scouts attended Camp-O-Rama in early April, and the level of fascination on the faces of the kids may come in handy when it comes time to defend the expenses of maintaining the unit. You can’t groom a motorcycle, and sirens are only a temporary thrill, but one scout lingered petting the horses and asking questions for over an hour. The officers answered every one he posed. There is no way to put a price tag on the enduring mark that such efforts may leave on the next generation of horses or humans.

Sgt. French grew up around horses, and knew there was a better way than what was being taught when he first trained with the elite patrol in 2002. Prior to his arrival, the unit was split between dichotomous schools of thought. One subscribed to the aforementioned faction, which essentially demanded the horses’ compliance when and how the officer wished. If the horse resisted, a larger curb bit (the metal piece that rests in a horse’s mouth) might be used; thereby multiplying the pressure a rider applies.

The other faction supported a method whereby the officer encourages the horse to do what he or she wants in a language the steed understands best. This is the basic explanation of “natural horsemanship,” a style of training both parties. Though some say it has been around for centuries, most people would credit Tom Dorrance with its modern revival. His apprentice, Ray Hunt, mentored Buck Brannaman (the inspiration for The Horse Whisperer), and they—along with Pat Parelli, whose teachings have influenced the APD officers—are all proponents of this empathetic equine communication.

Once Sgt. French took command of the fractured unit, he implemented the natural horsemanship method across the board. A couple of the more militaristic officers left the unit. However, two of those who subscribed to the natural horsemanship route, Julie Payne and Melinda Robinson, became certified Parelli trainers. They began edifying the other eight officers on its nuances.

The mandate has received nothing but their resounding support. It has helped the officers remain appropriately focused when making the rounds downtown. It has also cultivated a harmonious, familial vibe at the stables. The horses are colleagues, not nameless ATVs with appetites for grain and hay. The interplay between the humans and horses is constant.

“Undemanding time,” as Sgt. French refers to it, is one way to strengthen the bond between officer and steed. This consists of nothing more than shared time in the horse’s stall.