Marion County Sheriff Department mounted

Law Enforcement on Hooves:

Mounted Units at Home in Ocala’s Horse Country

by

Cynthia McFarland

It’s only fitting that hoof beats be heard in the heart of Ocala. The revival of a mounted unit for the Ocala Police Department has made that happen once again.

In October 2024, two law enforcement officers and their equine partners began mounted patrol in downtown Ocala for the first time in two decades.

Ocala Police Department (OPD) originally launched a mounted unit in August 1996, which operated until 2004 when it was disbanded due to being cost prohibitive for the city. The new mounted unit was several years in the planning stages. Thanks to the generosity of Ocala’s horse loving community, the unit is fully funded without costing taxpayers a dime.

“This is horse country so having a mounted unit is something you think you’d find here. It is an expensive endeavor, but the way it’s set up now it’s a great thing. Everything is donated; nothing is paid by the taxpayers. The community really wanted to see this unit and came together to make it happen.”

Major Angy Scroble, one of Ocala's original mounted officers

“The current unit is a volunteer unit and all people on horses will be actual sworn police officers,” says Scroble. She explains that riding on the mounted unit is a specialty assignment in addition to their regular duties as sworn officers.

OPD Mounted Unit at work in downtown Ocala – photo credit Major Angy Scroble

The first equine members of the OPD Mounted Unit are Lancelot and Merci May. Both horses were donated to Florida Mounted, a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit founded by Reserve Officer Eddie Leedy, for the purpose of mounted police work. When horses are off duty, they live at Leedy’s Marion County farm.

OPD Officers Leedy and Boyer on Lancelot and Merci May – photo credit Major Angy Scroble

Lancelot is a black 17.3 hand Friesian-Percheron cross gelding. Merci May is a black 17.2 hand Percheron-Saddlebred cross mare.

For those unfamiliar with how horses are measured, a hand is 4 inches. Horses are measured from the withers, which is the place on their back at the base of the neck. In other words, these are tall horses!

The first human members of the unit are Reserve Officer Eddie Leedy and Officer Cheyenne Boyer.

Before they officially appeared in a ceremony at Citizens’ Circle on October 17, 2024, the horses and officers had trained together for several months. Training includes exposing the horses to a variety of things they might encounter on the job, including lights, sirens, bicycles, gunfire, walking over obstacles, and much more.

“For the safety of the horses, the officers and the community, the horses have to complete a 40-hour course before going on duty. They also have one to two days of training a month to keep them ‘tuned up,” says Scroble.

Although the unit relaunched with two officers and two horses, plans are already under way to add more.

“We’ll be doing an evaluation of more horses and riders. We hope to have five to six horses total,” says Scroble. “We would really like to get a schedule so you’re seeing two or more horse units out there daily in different areas of downtown.”

Make no mistake, as people-friendly as they are, mounted units aren’t just for looks and goodwill.

“They are working cops; they’re just working on a horse,” says Scroble. “Being up on a horse you can see farther what’s going on. It’s great for prevention of crimes, like auto burglary. If there’s something suspicious happening around them, they’ll be asked to handle it.”

OPD Mounted Unit – photo credit Major Angy Scroble

“They are working cops; they’re just working on a horse. Being up on a horse you can see farther what’s going on. It’s great for prevention of crimes, like auto burglary. If there’s something suspicious happening around them, they’ll be asked to handle it.”

Major Angy Scroble, one of Ocala's original mounted officers

She points out that officers on horses and bicycles are very effective on proactive patrols and can get around the downtown area more quickly and efficiently than officers in vehicles.

“We definitely want to have them at special events for the city, but the officers will also do standard patrol work on horseback. For now, they are working downtown. The more horses we get, the more the public will see them,” says Scroble, noting that the mounted unit is still in the building stage.

“Feedback and engagement from the public has been really positive. People seem happy to see the mounted unit out,” she says.

The OPD Mounted Unit was made possible by support from multiple sponsors, including the Roberts family of World Equestrian Center (WEC), Mr. and Mrs. Rinder, Justin Garner from WEC, Ocala City Council President Barry Mansfield, Robert and Debbie Bull from Jumbolair, Ben and Maureen Fisher, Majestic Oaks, Seminole Feed, Larsen Hay, JV Hay, Cone Distributing, Cody’s Original Roadhouse, Coast-to-Coast Truck & Trailer Sales, and Florida Mounted.

OPD will post on their social media to give a heads up as to when and where the mounted unit(s) will be on duty. Meanwhile, when you’re in downtown Ocala, keep a look out for these four-legged patrol partners.

MCSO Mounted Unit

Seven charter members created the Marion County Sheriff’s Office Mounted Unit back in the 1960s.

In those days—and for many years—the unit was volunteer. Some members were deputies, but others were dedicated horse-owning citizens who simply wanted to help their community.

A mounted posse of volunteers can be helpful in assisting law enforcement for search and rescue, etc., but since 2022, the MCSO Mounted Unit has been comprised wholly of sworn law-enforcement officers.

MCSO-Mounted-Unit-training-together—photo-credit—MCSO-PIO

“Sheriff Woods said it was time for us to have a sworn mounted unit. From the time he said that, it was about a year of planning and training to get it together,” notes Lieutenant Mike Joyner, MCSO Mounted Unit Commander.

Since training began and the unit was officially recognized, there are now seven sworn deputies and five horses. For the record, all horses are geldings. Joyner says the long-term goal is to have eight to 10 horses so deputies can work in two companies.

Blue, Sky, and Chip are Quarter Horses who each stand 16 hands tall and weigh approximately 1,150 to 1,200 pounds. There are also two Percheron cross geldings, Waylon and Whooper, who also stand 16 hands, but weigh in at about 1,700 pounds. Nobody is going to push those boys around!

“Waylon is the first blue roan draft cross I’ve ever met,” says Joyner of the handsome gelding.

“What makes these horses special is their willingness to be accepting of different riders because it’s not always the same person riding them. We’re very selective of horses because of this,” says Joyner, a Florida native who was raised in Ocala and has had horses and cattle his whole life.

Whenever the unit considers adding a horse, every deputy on the unit makes a test ride. The horse must be able to accomplish the same tasks no matter who is riding. All riders are trained to use the same cues to eliminate confusion for the horses.

MCSO mounted unit member Sky – photo credit MCSO PIO

The mounted unit trains together as a group twice a month, but deputies are required to do an additional 8 hours of individual training each month. Training is done locally and with an Amish trainer in Ohio.

The MCSO Mounted Unit is not a full-time position, but rather a specialty unit, similar to a bomb squad, underwater recovery team or other specialized group. All deputy sheriffs on the unit are either patrol deputies, detectives or patrol supervisors. As of press time there are two female and five male deputies on the mounted unit.

“They work the mounted unit call outs and details on their days off,” says Joyner. “We do a lot of public relations, smiling and taking pictures, but we’re multi-faceted. Any situation when a deputy on a horse would be advantageous, we’re working on it. All the deputies mounted on horses are sworn deputy sheriffs so if something occurs, they can take action.”
The MCSO Mounted Unit is called to assist with a variety of tasks. For example, last summer, the unit worked the Rock the Country concert, patrolling on horseback in case crowd control was necessary. They were also called out to the Ocala National Forest to help search for a missing person. Other searchers were on foot and four-wheelers, but it was a mounted deputy who spotted barefoot tracks that eventually led to the person’s recovery.

“Whether it’s helping find a missing person, presenting the colors at special events, or serving as a crowd control element, we want to be a resource and contributing factor within the agency.”

Lieutenant Mike Joyner, MCSO Mounted Unit Commander

“Whether it’s helping find a missing person, presenting the colors at special events, or serving as a crowd control element, we want to be a resource and contributing factor within the agency,” says Joyner.

“When we first started the unit, we didn’t have a place to board them, so WEC graciously offered us stalls and we stayed there a little over a year,” he notes.

Once the MCSO was able to lease a facility, the horses were moved there. This farm is located in the northeast part of the county and is also where the agriculture investigative unit is housed. Horses from the mounted unit have their own dedicated section of the farm.

Because the deputies have other mandatory jobs within the sheriff’s department, two civilian employees were hired. Shelby Rowe and Katlyne Pagles are tasked with routine care of the unit’s horses, including feeding and cleaning stalls.

MCSO-horsepower—photo-credit-MCSO-PIO

“Our equine specialists work full time taking care of the horses and barn,” explains Joyner. “They schedule all the health care and feed orders. They also ride and keep the horses trained.”

From veterinary care to feed, all expenses are covered by donations from horsemen and equine businesses in the county. For example, Seminole Feed donates all the feed and hay.

The generosity of donors has even helped supply the horses. Although the MCSO purchased three of the horses, the last two were bought through donations.

“The community support for this unit has been absolutely amazing,” says Joyner. “Being the Horse Capital of the World®, people are 100 percent behind it.”