IMPD horse patrol raises money with family-friendly ‘Polo at Sunset’ event
The IMPD Horse Patrol has been around for nearly forty years, and keeping them in Indy is truly a team effort. You can help support their mission by attending their upcoming fundraiser, “Polo at Sunset,” at the Hickory Hall Polo Club in Boone County.
Chris Golightly, executive director of IMPD Horse Patrol joined us on Indy Style this morning to tell us all about their purpose, funding and this Friday’s event.
What most people do not know is the IMPD Horse Patrol unit is not fully funded by the City’s budget.
City funding pays for hay, grain, bedding, shoeing the horses, basic vet costs, officer salaries, basic facility upkeep/services/utilities and trucks/trailers.
The association supplements this by raising funds that support:
Purchasing horses, officer training and travel to those classes, fences, grooming supplies, salt blocks, tack (saddles, bridles, bits), horse training aids.
“Polo at Sunset” on Aug. 14 raises a portion of these funds for the IMPD Horse Patrol.
Our IMPD Horse Patrol website outlines all prices and details on the event. Cost for general admission is $20 per carload. We also have tailgate spots starting at $100 per carload.
It’s at Hickory Hall Polo Club in Boone County and it’s of course outside, which is where most people want to be right now.
It’s a family event that includes a flyover with a candy drop and of course Polo!
This unit was formed in 1983 with the idea that more patrols needed to be in the downtown area but presented in a positive way.
The unit started with six officers, seven horses, a truck and a horse trailer.
Today there are seven officers and eight active horses.
In crowd management situations, One horse is equal to 10 officers on the ground—protecting in crowds, holding a line.
People can see the unit working at community and school events, city events (ex. Indy 500, Colts games) and patrols our Downtown and other city areas daily to keep us safe.
The horses and officers can be approached, and the patrol is proactively going into our neighborhoods throughout the city over the next few weeks.
Officers and horses are joining food truck vendors each week for small block party type events.
Our officers are here to support the community and work with people in neighborhoods.
For more information, visit impdmountedpatrol.org.