A charity has said goodnight to a former police horse who enjoyed a “wild, woolly and wonderful” retirement.
Dexter served with Thames Valley Police for 10 years, before retiring in 2006 to the fields of the Horse Trust in Buckinghamshire aged 17.
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“It was thought then that he might only have a year or two,” said a spokesman for the charity.
“Twelve years later, after an epic and extremely happy retirement, Dexter’s days were clearly finally at an end and it was time for us to say goodbye.”
Dexter, whose registered name is Farringdon, was known within the police as “Mave”, or “Mave The Rave”, and enjoyed his life at the Horse Trust with fellow retired Thames Valley Police horse Iceini.
“They very much ruled the roost in their field of ‘boys that don’t want to be stabled for the public thank you very much!’ said the spokesman.
“He had a wild, woolly and wonderful retirement. He was a huge character and after 12 years here, had become part of the furniture as well as the family, it will be very strange for everyone to not have him here any more.”
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Despite being “afraid of his own shadow” when he first joined the police, Dexter never shied away from service.
He carried out many duties while serving with the force and could often be seen patrolling the streets of Windsor during royal events.
‘When I think back to his training, he never had anything he didn’t like, he was a complete natural right
One of his many friends at the Horse Trust was retired cavalry horse Organza (“Oggie”), who died in 2013.
“You will leave a big space in our hearts Dexter but wow, 29, you came very close to your old girlfriend Oggie’s 30,” added the spokesman.
Dexter and Oggie
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“So much for only a year or two — your big heart and bigger personality proved them all wrong and now it really is time to say our final goodbyes.
“Know you were loved and rest easy now big man. We are already missing you.”
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Lucy is an experienced news journalist, reporter and presenter. Since joining the Horse & Hound team in 2015, Lucy has reported from major global sporting events including the Tokyo Paralympic Games and multiple European Championships, as well as Badminton, Burghley and London, to name a few. She has covered current affairs and sports news across the full spectrum of equestrian disciplines and racing, as well as human and equine welfare, industry news and court cases.
