Megan Brush has been riding horses for almost as long as she’s been walking. So it only made sense that she was chosen to help kickstart a program that’s been dormant for nearly a decade.

Brush, a two-year veteran of the Sedona Police Department and a current detective, recently finished schooling to be certified as a mounted patrol officer.

“It was something I had always wanted to do,” she said. “I remember watching a NYPD documentary on its mounted patrol when I was 4 or 5 and thinking to myself that I’d like to do that someday. Being on a horse is kind of my Zen time. It’s just me and the horse as we work on that trust relationship. Some people go jogging, hiking or to the gym to relax. For me, riding is my relaxing time.”

Last year she met Rena Dearden, one of the former Sedona mounted patrol officers, who talked to her about how they had a program here in Sedona from 2000 to about 2010. That conversation was all it took to spark Brush’s interest.

In January, Brush’s horse passed away and she went through the normal grieving process of deciding if, or when, to get another one. But shortly after that she received a call from the Tempe Police Department asking if she’d be interested in taking part in their mounted patrol class. She wasted little time in saying yes.

“We are excited about resurrecting our mounted program, and Det. Brush was the right choice for this program,” SPD Chief David McGill said. “Her enthusiasm and dedication for the program made her the obvious choice to move this program forward.”

In addition to Brush, SPD has three other officers who have expressed interest in the mounted patrol, if deemed needed. They, too, would have to go through the training and be certified.

McGill said the mounted program will serve many purposes, including building on their community-police relationship, providing search and rescue ability, riding in parades, and having another type of crowd control platform if needed during events such as the Uptown’s Halloween Safe & Fun Trick or Treat.

“Unfortunately, the mounted program is a ‘nice to have’ policing tool, rather than an absolute need,” McGill said. “So because of that, we don’t have the budget to support the program, and we will be relying on public donations to fund it at this time.”

Brush said she intends to look into fundraising for the program while also seeking assistance from local feed stores that may be able to donate food for her new horse, Calypso.

Brush and Calypso traveled to Tempe in late January for the training that spanned 100 hours over five weeks. Training included basic riding skills, ability to perform triage to the horse if injured while on duty, and riding under loud conditions such as sirens and fireworks or in heavy smoke. In addition, she learned how to make an arrest and traffic stop — while on horseback.

“They’re really looking for horses with an even temperament, which is why they’re put through all
these various scenarios,” Brush said. “But they’re not certifying the horses, they’re certifying the rider. It’s definitely a team effort.”

Despite being an experienced equestrian, Brush said she learned a lot. For example, she’s used Western saddles her whole life but mounted police use dressage saddles. She said this took some time to get used to, since it involves using different muscles in her legs when riding and the placing her feet differently.

“For me, this is something I truly enjoy,” she said. “Riding is my passion and police work is my other passion, so combining the two if the best of both worlds for me.”

Ron Eland can be reached at 282-7795 ext. 122, or email reland@larsonnewspapers.com