Woman donates horse to Raleigh police mounted patrol

Martha Burke, of Upperville, Va., offered Parker, a painted/draft horse that the department has renamed Major, because she knew it would get needed training.

Police said training a new horse during a 60-day trial period involves basic riding skills between officer and animal; police-specific tasks like crowd control, riding in formation and foot chases; and sensory work to get the horse used to sirens, blue lights, flares and other things the animal might encounter on the job.