Mounted Police Horse Mortally Hurt In Hit & Run
Wednesday, March 8, 2006
He was called the Gentle Giant, a majestic creature that did his job
with aplomb, had a horse's sense of humor and was always willing to please.
Yet in the line of duty, Brigadier, an eight-year-old prize-winning Belgian
cross with the Toronto mounted police unit, was violently struck in what
police are calling a deliberate hit-and-run in Scarborough on Friday.
In an emotional and heartbreaking scene, the emergency task force unit
was called to euthanize the animal after it suffered two broken legs and lay
on the road in excruciating pain. Police say Brigadier took the brunt of the
vehicle's impact and in all likelihood saved his rider's life. Constable
Kevin Bradfield, who joined the mounted unit last May, was thrown onto the
road and suffered broken ribs and neck and leg injuries. He was treated at
Scarborough Centenary hospital and is recuperating at home. Although Sgt.
Mike Puterbaugh of the mounted police unit said a horse's status as an
enforcement officer is something to be determined, "when we're on the
street, the horse wears a breast plate that would bear the Toronto police
crest on it." That's the logo of the Toronto police service that serves the
citizens of Toronto.
The devastating loss of Brigadier has upset and angered members of the
mounted unit and those who knew the animal. Toronto police purchased him in
2001. Brigadier was one of 28 horses and 40 officers that make up the city's
mounted unit, originally founded in 1886 to control speeding horses and
patrol outlying areas. Brigadier's remains are being sent to the University
of Guelph for further investigation and to be cremated. His ashes will be
returned to Toronto for a memorial service.
"I think the entire city of Toronto will be touched by the loss of this
animal," said Police Chief Bill Blair, who attended the scene Friday night.
Blair said the force will be investigating the event "very aggressively."
"It was hard to tell (Bradfield) his horse had to be put down," said
Constable Chris Heard. "The horse saved his life and he knows that."
More Stories |
-
Read More
-
The Walking Horse Owners’ Association is proud to announce the following candidates were elected to the WHOA Board of Directors by the WHOA Membership...
Read More
-
It is with great sadness that we announce the loss of Watch It Now due to complications from colic...
Read More
-
The South Central Kentucky Walking Horse Association has canceled their annual banquet for 2021. The association hopes to host their banquet in 2022. For more information, contact Frankie Jo Bradley at 270-6460-7957.
Read More
-
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has posted their fiscal year 2020 enforcement activity summary...
Read More
-
The Walking Horse Report recently received a copy of a 1946 Blue Ribbon magazine. The copy was sent by a Report subscriber Robert Smith in Elma, Wash...
Read More
-
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine (NAS) released their report, “A Review of Methods for Detecting Soreness in Horses,” earlier today. The committee has been working on the report for over a year with their first meeting happening in October 2019...
Read More
-
The United States Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Services has informed the industry’s Horse Industry Organizations that it will host a virtual training this year due to ongoing conditions surrounding the Covid-19 pandemic.
Read More
-
The Kentucky HIO recently announced updates for the 2021 show season. The HIO will lower horse show affiliation fee to $50 and maintain the $6 inspection fee per horse this year...
Read More
-
It has been a year! The Walking Horse Industry remains strong and our supporters continue to dedicate their time and efforts to ensuring our future. Sales have seen record-high numbers and barns continue to bustle with the talk of the “next great one.”
Read More
|