After 11 years of service, Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings and members of the Mounted Unit turned out Wednesay to bid good-bye to “Dylan” a 17-year-old thoroughbred that will be retiring later this month.
Dylan, standing 17 hands tall was praised by Demings as a “very valuable part of OCSO” that was “responsible for assisting in numerous searches, training activities, arrests and who protected the citizens of Orange County fearlessly.”
Sgt. Larry Slimick, Head of the Mounted Unit said, Dylan is an “all round good horse that had done a lot of service and was ready to be retired.”
Dylan has worked the Superbowl in Jacksonville, Florida Classic games, numerous fairs and scores of other operations, Slimick said. He also worked along side other Mounted Units of the Orlando Police Department for about three to four weeks undertaking searches in the now infamous Casey Anthony Case.
During the retirement ceremony, Master Deputy Terry Brewer recounted stories of Dylan and his riders, who in some cases got thrown from the thoroughbred.
“There were times when if you didn’t know what you were doing, Dylan would show you what you needed to do and you would end up on the ground,” he said. Dylan is an ace horse that has won countless gold medals, added Brewer.
Dylan will retire to Mill Creek Farms, a nonprofit 265 acre equine sanctuary located in Alachua, Florida, where he will join former OCSO Mount “Chico” in the same pasture.
The OCSO Mounted Unit has nine to ten horses at any given time.
Asked about Dylan’s replacement, Slimick said that the search is on for “a thoroughbred, at least 16.3 hands tall and one that is calm, not jittery or scared, a horse we can touch.”
With the entire herd of OCSO’s Mounted Unit donated, Slimick is confident that a replacement for Dylan will be found.
“A donated horse merges the community interests with those of OCSO and makes for a good, public-private partnership,” Demings added.
Dylan joined OCSO Mounted Unit on January 31, 2001. He celebrated his 17th birthday yesterday.
