"I have a lot more people come up and talk to me when I'm on the
horse than when I'm in the car," Quesnelle said. "Especially the
children; they seem to relate to animals."
Despite rising prices at the pump and
gas-guzzling automobiles, mounted police units are a rarity in the
Mohawk Valley.
The Oneida County Sheriff's
Department has a volunteer mounted unit that is the only mounted
patrol in the area. Like Quesnelle, deputies own the horses and pay
for expenses, said Undersheriff M. Peter Paravati.
Formed in 1956, the county's unit
celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. Members participated in
30 details in 2005.
It also presents a "Say Nay to Drugs"
program that educates school children on the dangers of using
illicit substances.
"We're very happy to have the mounted
patrol," Paravati said. "They're very positive role models,
especially for children. Kids love the horses."
Longtime Yorkville resident Marion
Scibior said adults enjoy seeing Quesnelle with the horse,
too.
"People just love her," Scibior said.
"They really do love to see her and that horse. At the concerts
everyone says 'Oh, here comes Judi.' She really is a terrific lady
and a hard, hard worker."
Quesnelle patrols on horseback during
village functions, mostly Thursday-night concerts in Frank J. Robak
Park on Campbell Avenue.
Most mounted patrols saddle up for
parades, events that require crowd control, and search and rescue
teams. Quesnelle receives no compensation from the village to care
for Fahrenheit or transport him from her home in Sauquoit, she
said.
"I have the horse anyway and I don't
mind," she said. "I enjoy it."
Quesnelle began her career in law
enforcement after belonging to the county's mounted unit for about a
dozen years. She learned to ride at age 5 and three years later
owned her first horse, a retired New York City police horse.
"It's strange how things work out,"
she said.
Fahrenheit has a smooth gait and
doesn't scare easily, she said. Police horses are known for bravery,
patience and obedience. They have to be people-oriented and can't
startle easily, she said.
"I had a horse that was afraid of
baby carriages and dogs," Quesnelle said. "He would not have made a
good police horse."
While he was patrolling for Sunday's
Boilermaker Road Race, neither fireworks nor two F-16 fighter jets
could frighten Fahrenheit.
Scibior of Yorkville said Fahrenheit
is a very gentle horse.
"I've watched him with the children
and never once have I seen him startle or buck," she said. "It's
really a nice thing for the village."
