Helpful Hooves: Montgomery County Fair And Rodeo Gets Security Support From Horse Patrol – Houston Chronicle

With their horseback visibility reaching around 8 feet, the volunteer group adds to law enforcement surveillance efforts at the fairgrounds during some of the rodeo and fair’s busiest days, Alexander explained. And the enjoyment the steeds provide fairgoers make the riders more approachable for those seeking help at the popular event, she noted.

“Having their presence out there does make a difference,” said Mike Heimer, former Montgomery County agriculture and natural resources agent with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension. The current rodeo and fair volunteer added that attendees “feel reassured when you’ve got folks out there you can see.”

The use of horses also allows that help to navigate the cluster of cars more easily in case there is a search for a missing child, she added.

The group uses handheld radios to communicate with police officers on the scene. The most common issue, according to the posse leader, are people unable to locate their vehicle or their vehicle getting blocked.

Mounted Posse members, many of whom have full-time jobs, own their steed and are responsible for their training and transportation. Their ages range from 20 to 70-something and the horses they ride come from a variety of breeds.

The group started 20 years ago and has been covering the fair and rodeo for at least just as long.

The 50-year-old Alexander, an operations and accounts manager for a chemical company, joined in 2012 and took the helm in 2019. She has been horse riding since she was 15.

Completing her Mount Posse duties this year, Alexander debuted Casanova, a 17-year-old black and white male Tennessee Walking Horse she rescued a week away from being sent to an international slaughterhouse.

Her other horse at the event is Glo, a 23-year-old palomino and white male American Paint Horse in his second year doing fair and rodeo duties.

Alexander said the Mounted Posse prides itself in the horses being potty-trained.

“We trained them just as you do a puppy,” she said, pointing to a method involving treats and wooded areas.

The Mounted Posse participates in a slate of other community events in the county, including the Conroe Cajun Catfish Festival and Magnolia’s Woodland Oaks Mardi Gras Parade.

Every holiday season through Precinct 2’s Operation Ho Ho Ho, the Mounted Posse is deployed to the Target parking lot off Texas 105 and Interstate 45 to help with patrolling efforts there. They have also aided in search and rescue efforts during flooding, according to Pct. 2 Constable Reserve Lt. Mike Cross.

“They’re great men and women,” Cross said of the Mounted Posse. “I’ve not met a more dedicated group to helping law enforcement.”