Multiple law enforcement agencies are taking part in the annual Mounted Patrol School Week.
The course offers training for mounted horse teams across from Northern Nevada for riders to better handle their horses.
Some agencies include the Washoe County Sheriff's Office, Carson City Sheriff's Office, Reno Police Department, and Sparks Police Department.
The school provides a yearly certification for mounted riders as well as providing more training and education.
"The importance is that each of member on the mounted unit has to be post certified to be able to ride a mounted unit through the public," said Sergeant George Cholico, Washoe County Sheriff's Office Mounted Horse Unit. "Any time we have any issues such as riots."
The week of training throws a lot at riders and horses.
"They run through a lot of obstacles," Sergeant Cholico said. "Most of it is to desensitize the horses. Get them exposed to noises, sirens, fireworks. Anything that can possibly be outside of a normal environment."
They throw these at the horses. That way they aren't scared when they have to act on a situation in a large crowd.
Today's training included the use of Washoe County's helicopter, known as the RAVEN, as well as the K9 teams.
Both types of animals work together quite often, so they say this aspect of the training is super important.Â
"That exposes the dogs with the horses and of course the horses with dogs," Sergeant Cholico said. "So that the horses can be calm at all times with a dog right next to it or having to stand by in case we need to make an arrest."
Sergeant Cholico has led Washoe County's Mounted Horse Unit for three years now and he says the bonds he has built with his team and the horses is what keeps him going.Â
He also says the most difficult part of this certification is when you have a new rider and a new horse together, especially when there's a lot of noise for the rider to try and keep the horse composed.Â
