Northumbria Polizeipferd Pilot Eingeschläfert

2023 Autor: George Kingsman | [email protected]. Zuletzt bearbeitet: 2023-05-21 05:32

Geehrt wurde einem pensionierten Polizeipferd mit „einer Persönlichkeit, die so groß ist wie seine Größe“, das im Alter von 25 Jahren eingeschläfert wurde.

Pilot, ein 17hh Halbblut Clydesdale, zog sich im November 2015 nach sieben Jahren Dienst bei der Northumbria Police in den Horse Trust zurück. Während seiner Karriere führte er alle Arten von Polizeiaufgaben aus, darunter Fußballspiele, Konzerte und Paraden zum Gedenktag.

Ein Sprecher des Horse Trust sagte, der Wallach sei als eines der schnellsten Pferde der Northumbria Police bekannt.

„Sein Lieblingsstrand an der Druridge Bay war der Hotspot für alle Rennen. Pilot hat nicht nur jedes Mal gewonnen, sondern es wurde auch gesagt, dass sein Fahrer immer einen Mangel an Bremsen haben und Schwierigkeiten haben würde, ihn danach hochzuziehen “, sagte er.

"Es war klar zu sehen, dass Pilot ein wertvolles Mitglied des Northumbria-Teams war und sie waren traurig, dass er nach so vielen denkwürdigen Jahren in den Ruhestand ging."

Pilots ehemaliger Langzeitreiter PC Tony Preece fügte hinzu, der Wallach verrichte seine täglichen Aufgaben mit Leichtigkeit und Effizienz und beschrieb ihn als „edlen und höflichen Gentleman“.

credit: corrina atkinson

on retiring to the charity, pilot was reunited with former equine colleagues phlint and pongo, who retired from the force in 2014.

“the beautiful bay immediately became a favourite with the team with his dashing good looks and cheeky personality,” said the spokesman. “not only was pilot tall but he was a chunky chap too, a stunning mix of irish draught and clydesdale meant that he was the type you would not want to stand in front of when he came galloping down for breakfast in the mornings!

“a horse with a personality as big as his size, everyone had a soft spot for pilot. he loved his human friends as much as his horsey herd and loved nothing more than rummaging through the grooms’ pockets and dozing flat out in the sun with his pals.

“he was also a sucker for a good cuddle, if you could get your arms around his neck that is. pilot was a huge part of our family and there will never be another to replace him.”

the gelding was put down on 28 august following health issues.

“unfortunately pilot suffered with a large hoof abscess last year and it took a long time to heal, with the hoof never fully recovering,” said the spokesman.

“he recently suffered a recurrent hoof infection that was affecting the bone. treatment would have been prolonged and very painful. even then, we weren’t sure if he would ever make a full recovery. we felt at this stage the kindest option was to say our final goodbyes to him, so he could live out eternity pain free.”

the spokesman said there are “no words” to describe how much the charity will miss him.

“it is not the same here and it never will be, but how lucky we all were to know and care for such a gent. it has been our utmost privilege to serve pilot in retirement over the last five years – and what an amazing time it’s been,” he said.

horse trust chief executive jeanette allen added pilot was “the definition of a gentle giant”.

“i remember greeting him when he first arrived on a misty november day in 2015. we instantly had a connection and he became a fond favourite of all of our team. he was a superstar police horse and has left a huge hole in our hearts,” she said.