MOUNTED TRAINING

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The Mobile Mardi Gras Mounted School is held in conjunction with Mobile’s two-week Mardi Gras celebration. This is a complete school that includes basic equitation techniques, sensory training, obstacle courses, defensive tactics, arrest procedures, vehicle extractions, formation riding, crowd control tactics and strategies and other advanced law enforcement maneuvers.

Expert instructors employ a variety of practical scenarios combined with on-the-street training. (Note: Only participants and mounts with demonstrated skills, and the approval of Mobile Police Department Mounted Unit supervisors, will be allowed to patrol on the streets.) Our instructors emphasize the practical application of mounted patrol within urban environments, and the development of a working team between horse and rider.

• A horse and rider team that is trained to meet most challenges of
  mounted patrol work.
• A bond and trust between horse and rider that will serve them well
  in any situation.

CHIEF INSTRUCTOR: John Dalziel

John has 30 years experience as a mounted officer and riding instructor. Retired from the London Metropolitan Mounted Police, he was master instructor there for 17 years. During his mounted career, John served as an officer, riding instructor, and unit horse trainer. Most recently, John was retained by the Saudi Arabian National Guard with the rank of "Major" and the title of "Riding Master." John is an accredited riding instructor and trainer with the Classical Riding Club, UK. His classical riding experience encompasses dressage, show jumping, and cross-country. John is the UK Director/Riding Master for the National Mounted Training Group.

Don Leland - Don Leland has been involved in Posse/Auxiliary mounted police work since 1981 as a working member and instructor. He has attended mounted police schools at Lexington, Ky, ŹNew Orleans, La and numerous Mardi Gras schools in Mobile and has received three reserve championships at National Police Competitions on his Arabian Stallion, SKI. Don has been certified as an instructor by three National Mounted Police groups and is currently training two half Arabs police work, dressage and hunter jumper competitions.

BACKGROUND:

It isn’t just by chance that the Mobile Police Department’s Mounted Unit can navigate through the raucous sights and sounds of a Mardi Gras street parade. The horses and riders of the MPD Mounted Unit train constantly to assure that their horses can maneuver through rowdy revelers, flying doubloons, towering floats and all the unexpected noises and sights of Mardi Gras.

“The goal is to produce a mount that will be calm and obedient under the most stressful conditions by building up a horse’s tolerance to unusual sights and sounds,” said police Sgt. Eddie Carr, head of the MPD Mounted Unit.

The Mobile Police Department Mounted Unit was created through a grant of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in 1991 with a mission to patrol the public housing developments of Mobile. After two years, HUD turned over the unit to the city. Currently, there are six mounted patrolman, 10 horses, and 22 stalls.

The MPD Mounted Auxiliary, started in 1997, is a 15-member volunteer organization of civilian riders who are trained to patrol with officers as a support unit. The members train regularly and are required to put in eight hours of patrol time each month. The Horse Barn facilities include two arenas and a large complement of training equipment.

Both the sworn officers and auxiliary members have competed nationally and in three of the four national competitions, they have taken first place.

The MPD Mounted Unit hosted its first nationwide training school in 1993.