A police horse who wowed crowds and won hearts when sporting a fabulous pair of designer sunglasses at Royal Ascot – and who served with “unmatched bravery, professionalism, and heart” for 12 years – has clocked off from her final shift.
Police Horse Luna arrived at The Horse Trust on Tuesday (31 March) to enjoy her well-earned retirement with a herd including her former Thames Valley Police (TVP) colleague Atlas.
Luna’s rider Heidi Cornick of the TVP mounted branch went to the charity’s Buckinghamshire base to see her partner settle in, which she told H&H was an emotional occasion
“She was honestly my best friend at work,” she said. “You know they’re going to be happy, and she already was by the time we left, but I’ve walked past her stable since and it’s empty. They deserve a proper retirement but you miss them.”
Police Horse Luna, a 17-year-old Normandy cob, became Sergeant Cornick’s partner when the latter joined the TVP mounted branch some two and a half years ago.
“She was very much one of the horses newer people started on, because she’s very kind and would look after you but also you had to work hard, you had to ask her nicely to do things, because if she didn’t want to do it, she would tell you,” Sergeant Cornick said.
“I remember riding her round Portsmouth once, and she – I say, pretended because it was very much a pretence – pretended she was scared of public benches. I was saying ‘Luna, you’ve walked past no less than a million public benches in your career’. And she was ‘Not today, Heidi, nope’. She’d keep us on our toes, but genuinely always looked after her rider. She was so kind and honest.”
Sergeant Cornick said Heidi excelled in all areas of her career; she was steadfast in high-pressure situations including the violence that broke out before a Legia Warsaw v Aston Villa football match in 2023 and was part of state visits and occasions including The late Queen’s final journey and escorting the Royal Family at Royal Ascot every year.
“The horses are involved in three main things. They do community box patrols, because the horses have this phenomenal ability to go into any community and break down barriers and have positive interactions. She was wonderful for those; my little girl ended up loving Luna because she would be so kind, so soft and gentle with children.
“Luna was just so good with the children, so she used to do all our school talks and community engagement, but equally, she’d do all our higher-risk events where she kept the public safe.”
Luna on patrol with Heidi Cornick and former colleague Atlas. Picture by TVP
Sergeant Cornick said the relationship between police horse and officer, especially in high-pressure situations, is best described as “extreme trust”.
“I’m asking her, in sometimes quite scary situations, to go forward to keep the public safe,” she said. “She knows I’m going to look after her and equally, I know she’s going to look after me. And that sort of trust and relationship, which we spend time building, is so important because it’s what looks after you and gets both of us home safe at the end of the day.”
Luna hit headlines last year when she was photographed wearing her special sunglasses to protect her eyes as she had equine recurrent uveitis. Sergeant Cornick said people came to ask about them every day.
“We used to call them her special Neigh-Bans and people loved that,” she said. “Whenever she wore them, people came up; they were one of those extra things that broke down barriers.
“Even in quite high-risk public order situations, if you ask someone to do something while you’re on a horse, they do it. So as police, we have to use an awful lot less force when we’re on horseback because people actually comply with what we’re asking them to do. They probably seem quite an antiquated policing technique but they’re so relevant in today’s world.”
Sergeant Cornick said the decision was made to remove one of Luna’s eyes owing to the uveitis, and the surgery was carried out in February.
Luna has settled in to her new home. Picture by The Horse Trust
“It sounds silly, because I knew she’d be absolutely fine, and the day after the surgery, she was settled straight away,” Sergeant Cornick said. “It didn’t take her long to recover but I wanted her to go to the Horse Trust feeling 100% so she could be the dominant queen she is, and head of her herd. So I gave her extra long!
“She was very opinioned, always told us what she wanted. She had a heart of gold and was so honest, would do anything you asked but she’d test you. She’d make sure you asked correctly and looked after her but as long as she did, she’d give you heaven and earth. I know there may be another Luna – but I don’t think there will. She’s one of a kind.”
A TVP spokesperson added: “For 12 extraordinary years, Police Horse Luna has served Thames Valley and Hampshire Police with unmatched bravery, professionalism, and heart. As Luna completes her service and enters many happy years of retirement at The Horse Trust she leaves behind a legacy defined by exceptional courage, unwavering dedication, and a rare elegance that set her apart. It has been an honour to work alongside her.”
Horse Trust chief executive Jeanette Allen told H&H: “We’re thrilled to have local hero Luna come to us for her retirement. She’s a stunning girl who may have lost an eye but has gained a life free from goggles! We’re always proud to care for Thames Valley’s police horses when they retire and Luna has settled in beautifully already.”
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