Second chance for hero horse
By Justine Thompson
General news
01 March 2010 11:16
A police horse who cheekily refused to enter his indoor school but without hesitation swam into the sea to rescue a drowning man has arrived at Redwings Horse Sanctuary in Norfolk.
Redwings was approached by Lancashire Constabulary’s Mounted Branch for help after it was forced to retire one of its trusted horses following a ligament injury.
Thornton (stable name Bertie) is a light bay 16.1hh Irish Draught Cross aged 13. Like many police characters in TV dramas, Bertie has a cheeky personality but a heart of gold!
He joined the Mounted Branch aged five, where he soon learnt the trick of planting his feet so he didn’t have to be ridden in the indoor school.
He always rose to the challenge when on duty however. He attended many football matches where he helped control the crowds and he once faced a vicious dog at a music festival.
However, Bertie and his mounted officer’s golden moment came when they stood at the edge of the sea with a drowning man battling the waves desperate for help. Bertie was asked to swim out and, without hesitation, he bravely entered the sea and swam towards the man.
His officer was able to grab him and Bertie brought them both back to the shore. Cheeky Bertie had become Heroic Bertie.
Later, Bertie began to suffer with a ligament injury and could no longer be ridden so his days of duty were over. The police tried to re-home him through their normal channels but no-one was able to take him on.
“We heard that Lancashire Constabulary’s Mounted Branch had tried their best and after assessment we were delighted to offer Bertie a home,” explains Senior Welfare Officer Rachel Fairhead.
Sergeant Christine Driver from Lancashire Constabulary said: “Bertie, or Thornton as he is known to us, was a fantastic horse.
"It was a very sad day when we had to retire him but we are delighted that Redwings have taken him on and will look after him. He worked very hard for us and we hope he has a very happy retirement!”
To find out more about Redwings, please visit www.redwings.co.uk