Rockland Sheriffs Looking for Horses

The Rockland County Sheriff's Department is looking to enhance their mounted unit.

For those unfamiliar, a mounted unit is a group of Police Officers who patrol on horseback, and Sheriff Louis Falco III is looking to add to their fleet.

Not Just for Show

"The Rockland County Sheriff's Office Mounted Unit is not a ceremonial unit," Falco said to lohud.com. "It is a full-fledged police unit that has been actively patrolling in three villages and Rockland Community College, keeping officers safe, keeping the public safe and keeping order and control in the areas that they are in."

They’ve put out a call for some new horses to improve their unit, but not just any trusty steed will do.

Check out the wanted flyer on their Facebook.

Each horse must meet a specific criterion to be selected, much like the officers who ride them.

According to moneyscoop.com, the qualifications include:

Height: 16.2h – 18h (hands)

Age: 8-15 years old

Draft horses preferred

Sound in both mind and body

Recently under saddle

Mounted Unit History

The Mounted Unit was formed in November 1962 as a reserve unit with about 30 members who not only owned the horses but also purchased their uniforms and equipment. Those officers received training for skills such as crowd and disorder control, search and rescue, and formation riding, and the unit is still very much active today.

It's preferred the horses be donated, but reasonably priced options will be considered.

Anyone interested in helping should reach out to the sheriff's department or contact Sgt. Gregg Soriano at 845-364-5174 or at Gregg.Soriano@RCPIN.net.