Meet Jakar, the newest member of the Cleveland Division of Police Mounted Unit. Jakar has quite a story to tell, but since he can’t type we will tell it for him.
In the summer of 2012, a young woman attending a horse auction saw a Tennessee Walking Horse auctioned off and boarding a truck meant to take him and other horses across the border to slaughter. She felt compelled to purchase him and save him from that sad fate. The horse was then adopted by Beverly Ball who said “I knew he had something special and that underneath this big guy’s broken spirit was a gem waiting to be revealed.” Beverly named her horse Jakar which she tells us means “compelling love.” At the time, Jakar was malnourished and it took lots of time and love to nurse him back to health.
Jakar’s curious and friendly personality convinced Beverly that he would be a good mounted police horse. She decided to donate him to the Cleveland Police Mounted Unit and contacted Sergeant Mark Medwid. Sergeant Medwid visited Jakar at Beverly’s farm and took him to his new home at the Police Stable in May of 2013.
Jakar completed his police horse training and has been a solid member of the Mounted Unit ever since. He regularly patrols the neighborhoods throughout the City of Cleveland and can often be found on Public Square. If you are out and about downtown and happen to see Jakar, be sure to stop and say “hi” because he loves people.
Funding to provide for the care of all of our horses is generously donated by the Friends of the Cleveland Mounted Police. To become a sponsor or to donate to the horses’ care, visit the “Donate Now” page on our website.