Cloaked in history and tradition, cadres of mounted police flourished in Europe and the United Kingdom in the 1700s before being embraced by other Western countries in the mid-1850s. The legacy of mounted police work, forged in steel and spirit, lives on today at the Kentucky Horse Park.

Officers of the Kentucky Horse Park mounted police unit embrace responsibilities far beyond security with a focus on community engagement. Photo courtesy Kentucky Horse Park

Patrolling with a Purpose

The role of mounted police units evolved over centuries from helping wagons and carriages navigate poor roads to modern-day crowd control for parades, state fairs, and music events.

Officers patrolling on foot or behind the wheel of a squad car need help navigating tight turns or traversing wooded areas, mountainous terrain, or waterways. Mounted police officers accomplish challenging assignments because of their perch on the back of a horse. The ace for a mounted police officer is their range of vision 10 feet off the ground, allowing them to respond more quickly in cases of emergency.

The Kentucky Horse Park (KHP) mounted police unit assumed responsibility for the 1,032-acre park from the Kentucky State Police in 1987. Still, like other mounted horse departments, it bore the brunt of budget cutbacks.

Presentation of the flags before the start of all major events embodies the legacy of mounted police officers. (L-R: Captain Lisa Rakes on Oliver; Sergeant David Johnson riding Koda; and Officer Heather Geer aboard Mackenzie.) Photo courtesy Kentucky Horse Park

The functions of the KHP mounted police encompass everything from search and rescue, patrolling high-crime areas, or monitoring and responding to security breaches. Most of the unit’s activities are related to crowd control at major events, like the National Horse Show, which features top hunter/jumper competition; the U.S. Dressage Finals; the two-week-long Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in 2010; plus ceremonial and high-visibility patrols at parades, the Kentucky State Fair, and significant music events.

However, the KHP’s Mounted Police Division Captain, Lisa Rakes, believes deepening relationships with the community is the most critical aspect of mounted police officers.

“The horse brings so much to help with community bonding,” says Rakes. “A good example of that would be if I’m doing traffic. If I’m not on my horse, people will be honking their horns at me because they’re tired of waiting. If I’m sitting on my horse, it’s a completely different ballgame. People are taking pictures, they’re smiling. They’re engaging in a conversation with me. Interaction between the police and the community is so much better.”

Captain Lisa Rakes beams with pride next to her mount Oliver, a 17-year-old Paint/Shire cross. Photo courtesy Kentucky Horse Park

Rakes considers the KHP a sliver of paradise for its officers and horses and believes the role of mounted police officers goes far beyond public relations. Visitors to the park experience unexpected emotional connections with the horses—maybe for the first time.

“It truly is all about the horse,” says Rakes. “Our visitors want to have an experience with horses. They may have seen a horse, but they’ve never touched one. When they come and ask if they can pet the horse, it’s a bucket list moment. Little kids grab a horse’s leg. The horse will nuzzle a person. A wave of emotion comes over them, which is cool to experience.”

Beyond the Saddle

Born on a dairy farm employing horses for both work and play, Rakes went to college, later serving in the military, before starting a career in law enforcement that lasted 23 years. After retirement from the Lexington Police Department, the KHP hired Rakes in 2013 to lead the on-site mounted police division.

Rakes moved quickly to bring in new officers, pledging to create a cadre of professionally trained officers and horses. Though Rakes prioritized the need for excellent equitation skills, recruiting officers capable of riding initially presented a significant issue.

“Most police officers across the country have zero riding experience, which is the case here as well,” she says. “The majority of officers we hire are retired from larger agencies. That means that most don’t know how to ride a horse. We have to teach people in their 40s or 50s how to ride. That’s a challenging task. Riding horses requires agility, physical fitness, and balance, among other things. We take equitation or dressage lessons because when it comes to riding, if your equitation skills are not there, you’re not going to be a good rider or an effective officer.”

Rakes and her sergeant, David Johnson, start all new horses and riders, putting them through a specialized training program before assigning teams. Training for both officers and horses is a daily part of their jobs, especially for officers new to the unit like Eric Radow.

“Every day, you work on training and equitation with the horse,” he says. “You can practice a lesson and then immediately go and implement it while you’re working. We train throughout the year to become better riders.”

Officer Eric Radow’s horse, Legend (left), was recently made into a Breyer model. Along with Rakes and Oliver, the officers pause to chat with a family visiting the park. Photo courtesy Kentucky Horse Park

Officer Heather Geer was an accomplished hunter/jumper competitor who moved to Lexington from Long Island, N.Y. Retiring after five years on the street, eight and a half years with crime scene investigation, and 12 years as a helicopter pilot, Geer emphasizes that even with her equestrian experience, she learned much more as a mounted police officer.

“I’ve learned to be a lot calmer,” she says. “There are things that I’ve never done on a horse, even though I had a lot of experience. I’ve had to learn here. I learned more in five years here than I did in 30 years at home.”

All officers and horses are required to pass a riding exam, a dressage test, and an obstacle assessment annually. Training is year-round, continuing during the winter months to ensure team skills shine by the time tourist season arrives.

When Rakes assumed leadership of the park’s mounted police unit 11 years ago, it began with two officers and three horses. Today, 10 horses and the ability to field eight riders are a legacy of service on the rise.

Innovation on Horseback

Innovative ideas arise with questions, and answers arise when people connect across states and countries. The KHP annual consortium emerged from mounted police unit supervisors in Ohio, Michigan, Tennessee, and Kentucky phoning each other with questions about policies, procedures, and training approaches.

What began with intra-state phone conversations developed into a roundtable discussion hosted by the KHP in 1983. Good ideas spread when participants ignited the match of community connections. Since its inauguration, the KHP Mounted Police Colloquium has annually hosted officers and their horses from across the country and Canada to learn, train, and network.

“The colloquium grew from an event with no horses to our largest turnout of 149 in 2023, and 138 in 2024,” says Rakes. “Officers come from across the country, including representation from Toronto, Canada. The U.S. Border Patrol brought 30 officers to the training. The colloquium is a week-long experience that consists of two days of training and two days of competition. They come for the training, the camaraderie, and the networking. They take new skills back to their own police department and their own community and start incorporating some of the things they learned.”

Teams of officers exhibit varying levels of skill attend the annual KHP Colloquium Training and Competition to train, learn, and network. Photo courtesy Kentucky Horse Park

Colloquium organizers invite trainers from around the country to present material that exposes officers to best practices from departments skilled in various aspects of mounted police responsibilities, like crowd control and management.

“Officers from Toronto, Canada teach aspects of crowd control and management because they do a great job,” says Rakes. “The U.S. Border Patrol has much to offer with the variety of terrain they encounter. They’re not working in one community, but in lots of communities, because they’re patrolling the borders. A trainer from Maryland with a dressage background gives equitation lessons. Another trainer has a jumping background. We focus on working equitation because that’s essentially what we are doing. We are moving from point A to point B and want to do it in harmony with the horse.”

As part of the colloquium, the event sponsors a variety of competitions, including a uniform inspection class where officers are judged on their appearance, how their tack fits, how the team is turned out; a team obstacle course; and a more police-oriented dressage test, which includes tasks officers accomplish on patrol.

Representatives from multiple countries converge of the KHP to attend the annual colloquium. Photo courtesy Kentucky Horse Park

Bonding Beyond the Bit

The role of the KHP’s mounted police officers goes far beyond security and the visibility of law enforcement. Rakes emphasizes that officers and their horses serve as ambassadors of goodwill.

With close to one million people visiting the KHP each year, Rakes believes that the best part of the job is engaging with people every day.

“We get a lot of people who are seeing a horse for the first time,” she says. “We also get horse experts, people who ride, compete, and see horses daily, who say our horses are amazing. Sometimes you lose sight of this, but we get compliments from experts in all sorts of disciplines. I like talking to people who don’t know anything about horses—and to the experts who know everything.”

From Captain Rakes’ perspective, mounted police officers and their horses bring love and build positive relationship with local communities far beyond the KHP.

“These days, everything on TV and social media is being scrutinized,” she says. “At the park, people are able to have a relationship with an officer and their horse. You’re doing a disservice to your community by not having a horse patrol unit.”

This article about Kentucky Horse Park mounted police appeared in the March/April 2025 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

The post Meet the Kentucky Horse Park Mounted Police appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

Over 30,000 attend BreyerFest in person at Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington. Fans from over 100 countries around the world attend virtually! The hybrid event — in person or virtual — happens July 14-16, 2023. Photo courtesy ©BreyerHorses

PEQUANNOCK, NJ — From equine stars to “pony cars,” BreyerFest: DRIVING FORWARD is the fast track to family fun with something for everyone. The annual celebration returns to the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, July 14-16, 2023. A mecca for Breyer model horses, the real horses that inspire them, and horses lovers of every age, BreyerFest’s unique “hybrid” format—attend in-person or virtually online—gives fans anywhere in the world the chance to experience the 3-day jam-packed event.

BreyerFest 2023’s theme, Driving Forward, is a tribute to how horses have shaped human history. From the days of charging chariots to journeys aboard a clanking chuckwagon, from leisurely drives along country roads to a thrilling, sleek sulky racing around a track, horses have driven us forward. This year’s Celebration Horse, international Combined Driving superstar Bravour 54, is the bay KWPN gelding who helped make owner Misdee Wrigley Miller the first woman to win Gold in Combined Driving at 2018’s World Equestrian Games. As part of her four-in-hand team, they earned the United States its first Gold Medal in the sport. Meet them and other celebrity horses at BreyerFest!

Whether you attend BreyerFest in-person or virtually, keep From the Horse’s Mouth handy. This First Timer’s Guide is a must read for everyone—the portal to all that’s happening! A guide to the in-person event and a guide to the online event are both available.

From the live horse demonstrations—see an American Sugarbush Harlequin Draft (What’s that? Find out!)—to meet-and-greet sessions with equine stars, there are photo ops abound. Take selfies with a rare Norwegian Fjord reminiscent of Sweetwater’s Zorah Belle (aka “Zoobie”), the first Fjord to represent the USA in any discipline. Now a Breyer model horse, Zoobie competed in the 2019 FEI Combined Driving Pony World Championships in Hungary.

BreyerFest is a bonanza of workshops, seminars, and contests (enter your diorama!). The cherished fan-favorite Breyer model horse shows have classes for kids to adults—even novices! Just sharing a moment painting a Stablemates model in the Craft & Activity tent on-site together with other guests imbues a special meaning to a perk included with every ticket.

Then, grab a seat for Friday and Saturday evening’s spellbinding Celebration of Horses spectacle in the Alltech Arena, produced and directed exclusively for Breyer by the world-famous Sylvia Zerbini, who again stars with her liberty horses and a dazzling cast of talent. Virtual attendees can watch it livestream both Friday and Saturday. Fun fact! Over 30,000 people come to the Kentucky Horse Park to experience BreyerFest in-person. Online, ticket holders from more than 100 countries attend virtually—a production feat Breyer first pioneered in 2020. BreyerFest’s online event is hosted by the beloved Kimber Goodwin.

Not to be missed! For the fifth year, world-famous Sylvia Zerbini is creating, directing and starring in BreyerFest’s Celebration of Horses equestrian spectacle with her liberty horses on Friday and Saturday (July 14 & 15) evenings at Kentucky Horse Park. Photo courtesy ©BreyerHorses

“Our company is committed to visioning the horse world in timeless ways as we embrace new generations and old,” said Breyer’s Vice President, Marketing, Stephanie Macejko, who personally greets BreyerFest fans at Kentucky Horse Park’s front gate on opening day—often from the back of a horse. Her words have clout. Breyer won the nation’s Horse Industry Vision Award in 2021.

The ultimate family fest, Breyer’s gateway to horses holds endless intrigue. Yes, someone did say “Pony Cars!”  This July’s BreyerFest will delight the “alternate horsepower” enthusiasts of the family with a first-time car show featuring Ford Mustangs®, Pony Cars, and trucks! Ever-popular are returning attractions like select films from EQUUS Film Festival and Sunday morning’s BreyerFest 5K—the Sulky Sprint—happening in-person and virtually. No one ever leaves BreyerFest empty-handed with the shopping opportunities galore! All Limited Edition models, warehouse finds, BreyerFest merchandise and Breyer regular line products will be available at each BreyerFest Store location throughout the park.

DockDogs fans are in for a treat. Those incredible canines that love to run, jump, and swim are an added attraction this year. Meanwhile, music lovers will be tapping their feet to the sounds of top local bands, which change daily.

July 14-16th is trotting toward you! Attend BreyerFest in-person at Kentucky Horse Park AND online at BreyerHorses.com.

Considering online? Tune in to content—live or on your own time—and feel like you’re there at the Kentucky Horse Park. From live broadcasts with guest horse owners, hobbyists, and fans to the all-day coverage of equine demonstrations in the Covered Arena, you can enjoy the best of BreyerFest from the comfort of your home.  All online ticket holders get access to BreyerFest seminars and shopping—Virtual Marketplace and Virtual Artisans’ Gallery included—plus the evening Celebration of Horses show.

Giddy up and get your BreyerFest tickets!

◆ On-site tickets for the Kentucky Horse Park, Lexington: $30-$90
◆ Virtual tickets, for anywhere on Planet Earth: $25-$65

Check out a sneak peak of the guest horses.

— Edited Press Release

About BreyerFest® 

Now in its 34th year, BreyerFest is a 3-day equine extravaganza bringing more than 30,000 fans together with 300+ live horses and thousands of model horses at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington each July. From model horse shows and hands-on workshops, to real horse demonstrations and equine celebrities, BreyerFest is the hub of the model horse hobbyist world—where creative animal lovers of all ages celebrate their passion. A hybrid event with online ticket options, enthusiasts from over 100 countries now livestream BreyerFest virtually from everywhere in the world. 

Discover everything straight From the Horse’s Mouth in the BreyerFest First Timer’s Guide, also available for Virtual First Timers.

About Breyer Animal Creations® 

One of America’s most iconic toy brands, Breyer Animal Creations is a division of Reeves International, Inc., a family-owned, NJ-based toy manufacturer and distributor that took home the nation’s Horse Industry Vision Award in 2021.  Celebrating its 73rd anniversary in 2023, Breyer has championed the horse and animals for decades. Breyer’s dedication to creating authentic, realistic model horses for play and collecting inspires a vibrant, devoted international community that considers Breyer far more than a brand. 

Learn more at www.BreyerHorses.com. 

The post BreyerFest®: Driving Forward is July 14-16 appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.