After
rolling around in the dirt on a beautiful breezy Sunday morning I noticed my
caretaker, Wendy Hale, walking to the fence with an unexpected guest.
Intrigued, I took a few steps from my run-in shed to get a better look. She was bundled head to toe in a heavy
jacket with a red baseball cap and a bright blue hood. This didn’t help me get
anywhere with identifying the strange woman. But then I saw her face, and her
big smile that raised her cheeks and made her eyes squint.
Memories from Mounted Patrol duties at Rutgers flooded my mind and I realized exactly who it was!
It was Jill
Vereha-Blakely! We were old pals back when she was at the University and we
would go on campus adventures together all the time. This was back in 1987, and
you know what? Rutgers still employs Mounted Patrol Units! Actually, Rutgers is
the only place with a student-run Mounted Unit in the nation, and they have
been doing it for over thirty years!
For the past
few years, the Rutgers Mounted Patrol Unit has become part of a large
organization known as Community Service Officers (CSO’s). These students are
uniformed, unarmed paid employees of the RUPD. Most of them are pursuing
degrees in Public Safety or Public Service. What better way to gain experience
for your career than to be with your best horse pals!
Those were
the good ol’ days. If you have a great story about Mounted Patrol, or riding
with me write a quick story in the comment box and remind me about it! Or, post
a picture to our facebook page!
Happy
Riding!
Your Pal,
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