Horse is new recruit for Thames Valley Police
The Thames Valley Police Mounted Section has a new recruit — 4-year-old Percheron-cross Arion.
The 16.2hh black gelding will be ridden by PC Andy Barkus.
Sgt John Thurston said: “We will start Arion’s training by riding him out in the company of an experienced police horse and rider on the quieter residential estates and parks, and then slowly introduce him to more demanding situations, for example the city centre with people, traffic and noises.”
The Mounted Section, based in Milton Keynes, has ten horses which are ridden by a sergeant and nine PCs.
Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now
Never miss out on the latest happenings in the equestrian world
A self-confessed newshound, farmer’s daughter and journalist of many years' experience, Charlotte worked on regional papers before joining H&H in 2007. A regular rider, she visited Ireland in 2010 to investigate the fate of Irish horses through the recession, to much acclaim, and reported from the FEI General Assembly in Rio de Janeiro in 2011. She left Horse & Hound in March 2013.