Story by George Hunter of The Detroit News
“It’s a chance to get the kids involved…”
Detroit Police Department Mounted Unit Sgt. Erik Eide trains police horse ““Number 15” which was donated to the department by Denise Lutz. The Detroit police is asking students to help name the new horse.
Detroit — Wynn, Elmo, Baby and Tiny have a companion with no name, and police are asking Detroit Public Schools students for help.
The Detroit Police Mounted Unit’s latest addition is a chestnut Selle Francais gelding formerly named Korus. The animal was donated in May 2011, by Denise Lutz, wife of retired automotive executive Bob Lutz, both of whom were instrumental in resurrecting the unit after it was disbanded in 2005 for budgetary reasons.
Normally, when horses join the Mounted Unit, they’re stripped of their names and assigned numbers. The unit’s fifth horse was given No. 15 while it underwent training to determine if it would make a good police horse.
Now that No. 15 has passed its rigorous training regimen, Detroit Police have launched a contest asking students to come up with a permanent name for the animal.
Naming a horse is usually an honor bestowed to the first officer it’s assigned to after training, but police officials decided to let students in on the tradition, said Sgt. Erik Eide, head of the Mounted Unit.
“It’s a chance to get the kids involved, and to let them see a different side to police officers,” Eide said. “We’ve been working on this contest for some time, and we thought now would be a good time to kick off the contest, with our horses in the Thanksgiving Parade.”
The student who picks the winning name will be invited to the Mounted Unit’s barn on the city’s east side for the naming ceremony.
“The ceremony will include placing the new name plate over the horse’s stall,” Detroit Police Sgt. Eren Stephens said in a written statement.
The mounted unit was closed seven years ago for budgetary reasons. It reopened in June 2009, thanks to donations from the Detroit Public Safety Foundation and Restore the Horse, private groups of philanthropists and horse lovers who pay for the training and upkeep of Wynn, Elmo, Baby, Tiny and No. 15.
The Detroit Mounted Unit was established in 1893. At its peak in the late 1970s, the unit had five barns, 80 officers and more than 60 horses.
Mounted units are still considered vital for crowd control, as well as public relations.
“We were at Comerica Park when the Tigers clinched the ALDS (against the Oakland A’s); and we were down there when the Giants clinched the World Series,” Eide said.
The deadline for name submissions is Dec. 20. Names may be submitted by phone by calling the Detroit Police Office of Public Information at (313) 596-2200; by email: pubinfo@detroitmi.gov; by facsimile: (313) 596-1450; or via mail, care of The Office Public Information, 1300 Beaubien, Room 203, Detroit MI 48226.
“Kids can also submit names through Facebook,” Eide said. Names may be submitted through the Facebook pages of either the Mounted Unit or Detroit Police Department.
“Hopefully, this contest will get the public involved in what we do — and hopefully make a special memory for some kid,” Eide said.
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Categories: Horse News, The Force of the Horse
Straight from the Horse's Heart 
That’s great! ” a chance to get the kids involved ” is wonderful idea! I wonder how many horses they have now? Checking it out on FB. Go Michigan! 😡 🙂
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Patriot would be a good name for the horse.. To honor all his fallen bretheren..all the horses that are responsible for the building of this country. And for those who have fallen into the abyss of the slaughter pipeline.
Nice to know that yet another horse won’t be falling through the cracks. Too bad they didn’t look at the kill auctions for their horses to save them from their fate.
I don’t know RT but I’ve never been so depressed in my life about this issue. I’m going to keep fighting but I just can’t see daylight.
Thank you for sharing.
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The darkness will NEVER snuff out the Light, Terri…the fight is not easy but we will eventually win as we have the truth, justice, decency and innate compassion on our side. No one or nothing will ever beat those values out of us.
Plus, in my case, I am just too ornery to quit.
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You’re so right, RT! With all the compassion so many of us share and the longing for justice for these magnificent creatures, we can never give up on pursuing their freedom. Ornery is one way to put it, but it’s really about seeking truth and justice for those who cannot defend themselves…that’s what you’re all about and I so admire you for it. (-: We’re all just decent human beings, who care.
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I wonder why they didn’t consider getting a mustang. There are so many that are gentled through the prison system, and so many that are just standing waiting to be adopted in pens. That would have been a good “save” too. Maybe they’ll think about that the next time they get a horse. In fact I think all horses that are used for police or military should come from our BLM. The forest service and Park Service uses them as does the Border Patrol. Makes so much more sense.
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Anytime we can get children interested or active with horses, is a good thing. Certainly everyone benefits, including the horses themselves. (-: Great posting, RT!
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This is why we LOVE our horses so much. Great idea because for so long many people have not had access. Our local clubs – Horse Promoters, Inc and the ABU Arabian Horse club on working on bringing access to the community to bring awareness about our horses. The tide is turning and people are seeing why we LOVE our horses so much. I had the great opportunity last week of meeting “Thunder,” The Denver Broncs mascot…What a great horse!!! If you have a chance check him out on the internet.
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