How a P.E.I. horse trainer began training Newfoundland's police horses

At the end of a red dirt road in Mt. Herbert, P.E.I., Glenn Pollock is doing what he does best at his farm: training horses.

Pollock works with many horses but says some of his most impressive students are the four horses now working for the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary, Newfoundland and Labrador's mounted provincial police. 

When we are on horseback, you're a little bit more approachable.— Cst. Jason Coombs

"It's hard to find the proper horses that will suit the job," said Pollock. "It takes time and luckily I get to try lots of them and try to pick the right fit."

Until 2015, RNC horses were sourced and trained in Ontario but that business shut down, according to Const. Jason Coombs with the mounted unit. The RNC looked for a solution closer to home, and Coombs, who grew up on a horse farm just outside of Charlottetown, suggested looking on P.E.I.

"I said well there's so many horses and so many great equestrian people here on the Island that there's got to be someone who can help us out, and Glenn sure has," Coombs said.

'Stressful but rewarding'

Pollock has so far trained four horses to be a part of the mounted police unit in Newfoundland.

"It was stressful but rewarding at the same time," Pollock said. "You want to make a good decision, and horses are animals, they all have different personalities."

According to Coombs and Pollock the horses need to be calm and not prone to spooking to be suitable for the job.

"They have to start with a pretty relaxed personality and be very trusting," he said.

Pollock said training requires a lot of time and effort to expose the horses to different situations. He begins by riding them around his farm next to noisy farm equipment driving by and eventually has them walking with traffic.

"As long as you don't put them in a bad situation they'll pretty much do whatever you ask," he said.

'A little bit more approachable'

Every horse is different, Pollock said but training usually takes a couple of months. Once he  feels the horse is ready, the animal is shipped to St. John's, N.L., to begin working.

Coombs said the RNC uses horses in many different situations — for crowd control, search and rescue, evidence gathering, parades and ceremonies.

He said horses also help break down barriers between the police and the public.

"When we are on horseback, you're a little bit more approachable and visible," Coombs said.

Pollock said he's happy to train horses for the RNC as long as the unit needs him.

"We have a good partnership and so far everything's went well and they've got the right horses, so that's rewarding."

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