We are pleased to announce the arrival of Noble, a 4-year-old Percheron x Thoroughbred gelding, who will now officially join the ranks of the UMass Police Department Mounted Unit.
In early 2022, members of UMPD and the Veterinary & Animal Sciences department traveled to Asbury University in Wilmore, KY to evaluate horses from Asbury’s Service Mounts Training Program. Our team subsequently selected Noble, who would complete his training at Asbury over the course of the next two-and-a-half years before coming to UMass.
Noble recently made the trip from Kentucky to Massachusetts alongside Nikon, who joined the Hampden County Sheriff’s Department.
The purchase of Noble would not have been possible without the generous donation from Richard and Sandra Johnson of Williamsburg, VA. Richard is an alum of UMass (‘69 SBS Political Science) and both he and his wife are animal lovers and volunteers with the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. The Johnsons have also established a need-based scholarship fund for UMass Animal Science and Pre-Vet students, relieving some of the financial strain these students carry as they pursue their academic journey.
When not on patrol, Noble will earn his hay by serving as a teaching horse for VASCI classes including Animlsci 101 & 103, Equine Management I & II, Equine Behavior & Learning Theory, Equine Diseases & Health Management, and Large Animal Nursing. Each semester, over 300 Animal Science, Pre-Veterinary, and Vet Tech students utilize our equine teaching herd to gain essential knowledge and skills relevant to their future careers.
We commend Asbury University on their horses and their program which has laid a solid foundation of the skills necessary for Noble to be a successful police (and teaching) horse. Noble graduates from the Asbury program as his student trainer, who has dedicated the last four years to Noble’s development, graduates from college. Congratulations on a job well done!