New Orleans Police Department's Mounted Division Stands Tall
The riding instructor shares why the NOPD team of horses and riders is a rare breed.
David Waguespack is the riding instructor for the Mounted Division of the New Orleans Police Department. Waguespack has been training police horses and their riders since 1998. Waguespack says only one horse out of 50 passes the qualifying test to be a police horse on the streets of New Orleans. In today's podcast, Waguespack describes the process of training these horses and says that each animal requires anywhere from a few weeks to six months before it is ready to join the Mounted Division. "The biggest thing we look for in a horse is its temperament," he says. While size is not as important as temperament, Waguespack prefers horses that are between 16 and 17 "hands" high. One surprising fact Waguespack shares with us is where the police department gets many of its horses. He gives us the answer in this podcast.
