Farmington woman wins Mounted Officer Training competition Posted 2/9/01 by Erin Johnson Staff Writer Born just months apart, Wendy Pressnall and Heidi have a special bond. The one thing that makes their relationship different from other best friends is that Heidi is a horse. Wendy Pressnall of Farmington and her horse, Heidi, won first place in the obstacle competition of the annual Mounted Officerís Training in Maple Plain. Pressnall is a member of the Dakota County Sheriffís Mounted Patrol, a volunteer unit that assists the Sheriffís Department. ìWeíre not police officers,î Pressnall said. ìWeíre like a reserve unit. We canít arrest anybody. We canít carry any kind of weapon. They call us the ëeyes and ears.í From the horseís back we can see so much further than you can see on the ground.î The mounted patrol is called in to help with search and rescue missions when somebody is lost or missing, and it provides assistance and crowd control at local events like county fairs and parades. Each member has a first aid kit attached to their saddle. Patrol members must pay for part of their uniforms and yearly dues, as well as provide their own horses and trailers. ìBecause itís a volunteer unit and itís not actually part of the Sheriffís Department, itís all on our own time and our own budget,î said Pressnall. Members hold monthly meetings, and in the summer they have ìridingî meetings at the Dakota County Fairgrounds. Pressnall said she spends almost every weekend in the summer volunteering for the patrol, and about once a month in the winter. Pressnall has been with the unit for six years. She is following in the footsteps of her mother, who was a mounted patrol member for 21 years. ìIt (the mounted patrol) started in í79, and she joined it the year after that,î Pressnall said. ìSo sheís been in it as long as Iíve been alive. She just left it last year.î Pressnall, who is 24, joined the unit when she was 18. Heidi, an Arabian quarter horse mix, is also 24. The two were born just a month apart and share an unbreakable bond. ìSheís my life. My mom had her mother and her grandmother,î she said. ìWe read each other very well. To be honest, weíre tough competition for anybody because weíve been together for 20 years.î Pressnall and Heidi competed together for years through 4-H in English, Western Pleasure, Jumping, and Gaming. In 1994, they competed at the Minnesota State Fair. Pressnall said that attending the annual Mounted Officerís Training was an invaluable experience. ìIt was a once in a lifetime experience. It was just incredible. I hope I can go back next year,î she said. ìEven if I hadnít done as well as I did, I would have walked away with the knowledge. Thatís what I went there for ó the knowledge. And it was extensive.î The training and competition was attended by mounted patrol units from around the country, including St. Paul and Minneapolis mounted police officers. The obstacle competition took place in an indoor arena with boards, metal grates and tarps on the ground that the horses and riders had to navigate. Sirens blared throughout the arena during the timed competition. The most formidable obstacle, Pressnall said, was a stack of barrels that Heidi had to physically push out of the way in order to continue. It was especially impressive considering the barrels were stacked as tall as Heidi herself. Pressnall said that particular obstacle is an important one for mounted patrol units. ìIf we ever come to a situation where weíre out doing a search and rescue and something has fallen on somebody and we canít move it, the horse has to be able to push it or pull it,î she said. Trust is a necessary element to overcome those types of obstacles, Pressnall said. ìIt takes a certain degree of trust between a horse and a rider to be able to accomplish some things,î she said. ìYouíre horse has to know, ëThis is my person; theyíre not going to put me in a position where Iím going to get hurt.í î Pressnall said that although there are times when the patrol takes up more free time than she would like, itís the people she meets that keep her in it. Especially the kids, she said, who are always fascinated by Heidi. ìThe kids poke at her and pull her hair, but those kids laugh,î she said. ìAnd those are kids that will probably never see another horse in their life. They have the best time there because, ëOh my gosh, thereís a horseí and they got to touch it.î Pressnall said those kids help her regain perspective about her good fortune. ìI often times find myself taking advantage of the fact that I have horses, and that just makes me think ... I am so lucky,î She said. ìThey just remind me that I am lucky. Especially to have the horse I have. Thatís what makes me want to keep doing it.î For more information about the Dakota County Sheriffís Mounted Patrol, call Captain Kate An Hunter at (651) 578-3290. ©Thisweek Newspapers