Los Angeles Police Department's Mounted Platoon Annual Open House
by Bobbie Logan

The horsemen of LAPD's Mounted Platoon hosted their annual open house Saturday, September 28th, at their permanent home, the Ahmanson Equestrian Facility in Atwater. As an avid horseman myself, with over 35 years of competitive and pleasure riding, I was impressed.

Adjacent to Griffith Park, the beautiful site was donated for the Unit's use by the Ahmanson Foundation. The near spotless main building at the facility houses the stables, office space, tack rooms and a weight room. Outside pipe stalls, a covered arena, a hot-walker, and ample parking complete the complex.

Two multi-horse demonstrations were a highlight, as the officers put the mounts through their paces, all narrated by Platoon Leader, Lt. John Incontro.

There were two other live demonstrations as well. One, from SWAT, involved a team of officers who repelled down a three-story building, and "assaulted" a makeshift structure to rescue a hostage. Another, from the K-9 Squad, featured an impressive pooch, a Belgian Malinois, who many believe make one of the best police dogs.

This was a decidedly family event, as the Platoon opened its facility to the public. Many additional exhibits were there from both the LAPD and the Los Angeles Fire Department. Included were offerings from SWAT, the Bomb Squad, the Narcotics Division K-9 Unit, the Elite Metropolitan Unit (Red Team), DARE, and LAFD's Battalion 5, Engine 55.

The Mounted Unit had an additional booth set up where T-shirts, caps and jackets were sold to help raise money for the "Los Angeles Police Equestrian Fund." The City of Los Angeles provides funds for the maintenance of the facility, officer and civilian salaries, veterinarian care and shoeing, but does not fund the purchase of new horses, their equipment or specialized training. It costs an average of $5,000.00 to purchase a horse with the qualities needed for this program, and the Platoon is currently seeking several new mounts.

The event was very well attended, and an excellent lunch was served.

Adults and children alike enjoyed themselves, as there were many activities to choose from including tours of the barn. The 40-horse facility was a delight to walk through, as it was very well laid-out, clean and safe. As an experienced horseman, it was wonderful to note the little things like cobweb and dust free ceilings, expertly organized tack rooms, clean wash racks and clearly written feeding instructions!

But best of all were the happy faces sticking out of the stalls, bright-eyed, healthy horses that seem to love their job and glow from the excellent care they receive. One particularly congenial horse, an Arabian named "Elvis," might have stood there and licked us all day if we'd let him!

Elvis Serial # 96-15 Age - 11 years Appointed - September 1, 1995 .

NOTE: Just click here to see the pictures of the other horses,
and then click on a horse's name to enlarge the picture and read the bio.

The Mounted Unit's first demonstration took place in the covered arena, where Metropolitan Division's commanding officer, Captain Steven R. (Rick) Jacobs, welcomed the guests, and introduced Platoon Leader, Lt. John Incontro. The Lieutenant explained the history of the group, first established in the 1980's, and explained its structure and philosophy. Then he presented the Platoon's trainer, Officer Patrick Koury.

An excellent and experienced horseman, Officer Koury showed us how the horse is trained to move off the leg in order to stay at a safe angle and block a suspect. Then the Platoon itself was brought out, entering the arena in an impressive tight moving quadrille. They demonstrated crowd control maneuvers, mounted and dismounted, with Officer Koury explaining drill instructions and taking questions.

Later, the Platoon's second demonstration of the day included crime prevention techniques such as use of unique weapons, and procedures for taking a suspect into custody. Perhaps the most impressive part of these two demonstrations was the varying skill levels of the officers as riders, and a testament to their training. Riding a horse isn't simple, especially considering the amount of lateral work these officers have to do while balancing the weight of holsters, weapons and other equipment on their hips. But even the most inexperienced rider was well matched to his more expert counterpart and the unit moved as one.

Los Angeles Community Policing would like to extend our special thanks to Officer Marygrace Weaver for her hospitality, organization and expert planning for this Open House, and for taking the time from her busy day to "show us the ropes."

The effort that goes into such a well rounded family event did not go unnoticed, and we here at LACP just want to express our appreciation for all the hard work!

Contributions to the program can be sent to:

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LACP's Bobbie Logan is an experience horseman with over 35 years of competitive and pleasure riding. In the past she has participated in both the Walnut Sheriff's Volunteer Posse and the El Monte Police Department's Mounted Patrol.