Two horses from police forces at either end of England are to share retirement at The Horse Trust’s Home of Rest for Horses, Buckinghamshire.
Iceni is an 18 year old Percheron x Irish Draft bay gelding standing 17.2 hands. Bought from Canterbury in 2003 and trained at Milton Keynes, he became the lead horse for Thames Valley Mounted Section, where he was ridden by Sergeant John Thurston. He has seen action at many events in the Thames Valley, including football matches, demonstrations, rock concerts, missing person searches, school and State visits and the weddings of Prince Charles and Prince Edward.
No stranger to The Horse Trust – he welcomed Horse Trust Patron the Princess Royal to the yard when horses from all walks of working life assembled for a special anniversary parade earlier this year - Iceni escorted the Queen at Royal Ascot, carried out crime patrols throughout the Thames Valley and was instrumental in a number of arrests. He was also commended for his bravery at the Portsmouth v Southampton local football derby in 2004 where, along with other horses, he helped to control mass violence in the city.
Sgt Thurston said: “Iceni is a brave, kind horse who has given many years of good service to the Force. He has been fantastic to ride and I will miss him - I am very grateful that The Horse Trust has taken Iceni and it is good he will be able to stay there until the end of his days.”
Sawyer, renowned in police circles as one of the bravest horses in the country, has come to The Trust from Greater Manchester Police. Never far from the centre of the action, the 18-year-old 16.2 hh bay gelding has been involved with all aspects of community work. Calm and brave, he was never fearful or lost control of himself, however difficult the circumstances.
He became a familiar sight at many European football matches, where he could be relied on to take control of a milling crowd and defuse difficult situations.
Paul Jepson, Chief Executive of The Horse Trust, said: “Our Home of Rest is here for all working horses. To see two police horses who have given so much to their communities and worked so hard be turned out on to green pastures in anticipation of a long and healthy retirement fulfils the traditional values imbued by our founder Ann Lindo. In the words of Black Beauty, the inspiration behind the sanctuary, both will now know ‘I shall never be sold, and so I have nothing to fear; and here my story ends’.”
