Welcome to the force, horse

Sawyer and Sutherland, two Percheron geldings, graduated into the Hamilton police mounted unit during a ceremony at a farm outside of Lynden on Thursday.

The new mounts were presented with their badges by Chief Frank Bergen and other dignitaries.

With two new horses also comes two new riders, as constables Sam Couce and Ryan Rieder were added to the unit. They put on a display of their equestrian prowess on veteran mounts RHLI and Lincoln.

Sawyer was so named by Hamilton police Indigenous liaison Stacey Hill. She chose the name for the horse as a nod to Indigenous chief Joseph Sawyer, who she said was a great leader who overcame battle scars from the War of 1812 and the Battle of Detroit to become a great chief.

Hill said she sensed some of that veteran leadership in Sawyer.

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