Philadelphia Mounted Police unit host large animal response training

NORTHEAST PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Saving a horse from a trailer crash.

It's just one scenario officers with the Philadelphia Police Mounted unit and other area police departments are working through during Friday's training.

"Slow everything down on scene, think it through," said the instructor.

A mock horse rescue from a ravine was orchestrated by Pennsylvania Animal Response team. It's hands-on training for crisis involving large animals. The horse dummy, Lucky, weighs 700 pounds.

"It's so great because you watch their confidence build. Which means if there's a scene where there is truly a large, thrashing animal, they're going to be calm collected and able to respond immediately," says Sarah Gabel, Executive Director of the PA Animal Response Team.

If you think a large animal rescue is not going to happen in a large city, think again.

In February, officers had to wrangle a horse after it broke free from a stable in Strawberry Mansion, galloping along I-95 North.

Officers from Newark, New Jersey were also in attendance. They had to wrangle a bull, which had escaped from a slaughterhouse. He was spotted hoofing it along the NJ Transit train tracks at Newark Penn Station.

"We're anticipating that it can happen at any moment," says Capt. Anthony LaSalle, Philadelphia Police Specialized Operations.

"Police horses are our first responders coworkers. When you think of it that way, if any responder is out there and their partner gets hurt, you've got to know how to do first aid," says State Representative Joe Hohenstein.

This specialized, hands-on training with the Pennsylvania Animal Response Team is hammering home the idea that these officers are here to protect and serve for every living thing.