It's becoming a sight as familiar in downtown Kingston
as the sun setting on Confederation Basin.
Montgomery, with Kingston Police Constable Brad Wicklam in the saddle,
clip clops through the downtown, stopping to say hi to the tourists who flock to
the Limestone City.
Constable
Wicklam and 'Monty', a Percheron thoroughbred cross, have been in service with
the Kingston Police since the summer of 1999. The horse is boarded at a private
stable on the outskirts of Kingston and trailered to work each day.
Life
in a mounted unit is not your typical day at the office. Constable Wicklam and
Monty work from mid-May to mid-October in six-hour shifts. That does not include one
hour of preparation before and one hour of grooming after each shift.
During
their tours of duty, Brad
and
Monty work the downtown beat patrol and throughout the various parks, visit
schools and attend special events, such as the Sky is the Limit Festival
in July and numerous parades and civic functions. But
Monty's true calling is as a goodwill ambassador for the Kingston Police and the
city. Joining
Monty on patrol during the summer of 2001 was 'Samson', who has worked
approximately 80 hours on a part time basis. Samson, also a Percheron
thoroughbred cross, is ridden by
Constable Deb Wicklam of the Kingston Police.
