Hampton's Mounted Patrol Unit Doing Well

Horses Recovering After Report of Neglect

By Alexander Plummer

Hampton Union, Tuesday, June 26, 2007

[The following article is courtesy of the Hampton Union and Seacoast Online.]
Buddy, one of the Hampton Police Department's Mounted Patrol Unit horses, looked healthy and playful at retired Deputy Chief Dennis Pelletier's farm in Epping this past Thursday.
[Alexander Plummer photos]

HAMPTON -- The Hampton Police Department's Mounted Unit Patrol appears to be in good shape and recovering at retired Deputy Chief Dennis Pelletier's farm in Epping.

The four horses displayed no signs of neglect and pranced around playfully during a visit to the farm this past Thursday. The horses have been the subject of rampant speculation in the past month after it was announced they would most likely not ride this summer because of medical reasons, which included being underfed.

The visit followed a phone call last Monday to the Hampton Union from an unidentified man calling from the Hampton Police Department. The caller, whose location registered on caller ID as being from the Hampton police station, accused the department and specifically Deputy Chief Rich Sawyer of neglect in regard to the horses' care. The caller, who wished to remain anonymous, said the horses were in far worse health than reported by the department.

Sawyer adamantly denied the allegation and, in response to the call, arranged the visit to the farm to view the horses. Blaze, Aarow, Patriot and Buddy all appeared healthy and playful. Sawyer would not comment further on the matter, expressing his desire to wait until the full veterinarian's report is submitted, which he hinted would be arriving soon.

During the visit, the men caring for the horses discussed different indicators of the health of a horse, such as color and weight. The caretakers said all indications point to the horses being healthy, having no signs of being underweight or in any type of pain. The caretakers said the horses are retaining their full color. Each of them looked eager for a chance to exit their stables and walk outside while photographs of them were taken.

Arrow, one of the Hampton Police Department's mounted patrol unit horses, shown here at retired Deputy Chief Rick Pelleiter's farm in Epping.
Blaze, one of the Hampton Police Department's Mounted Patrol Unit Horses, shown here at retired Deputy Chief Rick pelletier's farm in Epping.