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TROOPER
RIGHT…Yeohhh!
COLUMN LEFT…Yeohhh!
COMPANY HALT…Yeohhh!
Howdy friends! You may be
wondering what those words above mean. Well, I am in the process
of learning them
myself! While I have
a moment to catch my breath, this is Levi writing to you, in case
you couldn’t tell, and before Mom gives me a cue to get moving
again…Oops, excuse me…Column Ahead! (Another command
from our training supervisor) I want to give you my perspective
of this new job that I have. You see, my Mom, Angie, and I are
undergoing some intensive training as members  of the Marion County
(Ocala, Florida) Sheriff’s Office Mounted Unit. Mom told
me that this is very important work, and she is very proud of me
for passing my competency test with flying colors. I get to do
all kinds of things during practice sessions that prepare me for
any “details.” I figure I had better behave, since
Mom now carries a badge!
Lots of Learning
What we are doing during this segment of our practice session is
drill team training, and it is hard work. I can get pretty frustrated
that Mom is making me turn this way and that way. What I really
want to know is, why can’t she make up her mind where she
wants to go! Is this what women really drive like? I have been
told that the idea behind all this stuff is to be in perfect
cadence with the horse next to you, no matter the command or
size of the horse. Imagine! Have you ever tried to slow down
enough to keep in time with a horse that is really a pony, when
you are 16 hands tall? See, it is tough.
I am still trying to master this, but, so far, I have learned
a few basic things: Trooper refers to an individual horse/rider
combo
in follow-the-leader type fashion, while Column refers to the whole
team, no matter the number of horses/riders. In other words, when
they yell Column this or that, I’d better be in time and
cadence with the horse next to me!
Pools, Tarps & Scary Things
We also get to (gasp!) walk on tarps, past big plastic pools that
look like big monsters that may have come to kill us all! I’m
not sure about all this. I usually want to me smell each object
first. Mom doesn’t seem to be scared, though, so maybe I
shouldn’t be either. But, since I am bigger than her, I am
taking no chances here. I instinctively plant all four feet and
keep smelling (maybe she’ll change her mind).
This segment of the session teaches me to walk over anything, willingly,
no matter the texture, color, noise it makes or the distractions
that may lie
all around to scare me. Mom gives me a cue to walk on, and I have decided that
I am a big, confident horse, so I’ll cross the tarps, go past the pools,
and walk past a blow-up killer whale that looks tame compared to the pools
with some funny looking balls inside, blinking, making noise and flopping
all over the place. Whew, I think I passed that test, too, because I got
called
back to help another horse across the tarps. Next are the flares! The flares,
Mom told me, are used quite a bit in my job and I need to get  familiar with
the sound, smell, smoke and the flame itself. The Big Ball
And there it was. In colors I don’t even think I have seen
before. Here was the largest ball I have ever seen. Okay, it is
our turn to visit the ball. I have watched the other horses go
after it, but I’m not so sure. I walk up to it, and it looks
like a wall that I cannot move. Wrong! It rolls, it bounces to
and fro, and it won’t get out of my way. Mom encourages me
by saying “Get it, get mad at it.” Well, I am a good
listener, and I do what she asks. I get mad and then I realize
that I can kick the stuffing out of this ball, and it’s fun!
We chase it all over the arena like Pele’ on a soccer field.
Who knows, maybe that’ll be my next job… The Marion County Sheriff’s Office Mounted Unit is a specialized
Auxiliary Unit that assists in various duties representing the
MCSO, including search and rescue, public relations, drill team
competitions, flag corps, parades, crowd control and traffic assistance.
To become a deputy sheriff, you must pass several tests, undergo
fingerprinting, a complete background check including criminal
dvm records, provide references and fill out a 10-page application.
Angie Bryant and Levi have been with the Marion County Sheriff’s
Office Mounted United since August 2004. Angie is an equine nutrition
consultant for Seminole Feed in Ocala.
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