Wrangler, a longtime member of the Minneapolis Police Department's mounted patrol, is heading out to pasture after more than a decade of enforcing the law and engaging the public.
Since joining the force in November 2002, Wrangler regularly patrolled the downtown bar district, keeping the peace and acting as a goodwill ambassador.
The 17-year-old quarter horse also worked during six mounted patrol academies, helping break in new four-legged members.
Highlights during his service included being part of a contingent of Minneapolis police horses and riders who went to Mobile, Ala., for crowd control during that city's annual Mardi Gras celebration. Wrangler also was widely used at the 2008 Republican National Convention in St. Paul.
Thursday was Wrangler's last roundup. He was returned to the person who donated him to the patrol and will live out his days ambling in the countryside and on trail rides.
The departure means the mounted patrol is trying to corral a replacement from someone willing to donate a horse. Anyone interested in making such a gesture should contact Police Sgt. Chris Lokke at 612-290-3924 or christopher.lokke@minneapolismn.gov. Patrol horses need to be 3 to 10 years old, at least 15.2 hands tall (about 61 inches from the ground to the top of the shoulders) and — ahem — he must be a gelding.
