Our son Paul loves emergency vehicles and police dogs, so last night we took him to National Night Out. For those who don’t know, the purpose of this event is to promote local safety in strengthening the partnership between the police force, the community, and individual citizens. Children have the opportunity to sit in police vehicles, watch demonstrations, visit safety booths, and chat with officers.
I wasn’t expecting to see any horses, so meeting some of the Kane County Mounted Rangers was a real treat!
Paul is shown meeting Max. We also met Millie.
According to their website, “the Kane County Mounted Rangers is a volunteer organization affiliated with the Forest Preserve District of Kane County. Our primary function is to patrol the forest preserves of Kane County, enhancing public safety by acting as a deterrent to crime. The group also serves as public relations for the Forest Preserve District in local parades, assists with parking/crowd control at special events such as cross country meets and participates in other events such as National Night Out.”
In order to serve as a Mounted Ranger, the human applicant must pass a criminal background check and complete 40 hours of service. The horse must be safe to be exposed to the general public.
I would not have guessed it had I not seen it for myself; this event, which appeals to families with small children, is probably one of the most stressful situations that these horses will face while on the job. Max and Millie both proved that they are highly qualified by standing quietly as mobs of children ran around at their feet, while at the same time a helicopter demo was taking place in the sky!
I’m pleased to say that my son approached the horses safely and asked permission to pet them, but as you can see, many children (and many adults) did not. Millie’s partner and owner attributed her demeanor to her age. Millie is 26 year old Appaloosa/TB cross. In her youth, Millie competed as a race horse in Wisconsin. Her owner said that Millie has “seen it all.”
I loved the pretty breast collar identifying the horse and rider as part of the Mounted Rangers.
Once Paul got his fill of the horses (ok, who am I kidding...once *I* got my fill...), we moved on to the rest of the event. Paul loved it! This is one of many vehicles that Paul had his photo taken with.
Planning to dress up in his SWAT team costume back home, Paul decided that he needed to look older, so he paid a visit to the face painting booth.
How much older does he look?
Millie was getting ready to go home when we went over to say good-bye. What a beautiful girl.
Further information about the Kane County Mounted Rangers is available at:
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