The first time we tried to reach Cst. Darcy Henkel by phone, we were told she was in the paddock training a horse.
In our second attempt, the constable who answered thought Henkel was possibly with a horse in the stables parking lot, located in central Stanley Park.
For the third try, we got Henkel to call us.
"Sorry," she starts, although no apology is necessary. "I was working with a horse, and then I had lunch, and then the farrier came." She sounds slightly out-of-breath.
Its all par for the Friday for the distinguished member of the VPDs Mounted Unit. And our suspicions are confirmed when Henkel explains how one comes to be a police officer who works with horses every day; it takes a long time to earn one of the seven available spots.
"I've been on the job 24 years," Henkel says. "I'm originally from Alberta and I came out here for a visit and saw a police officer on horseback in Stanley Park. And I was like, 'What do you mean? You can be a police officer and ride a horse?' So that started my love affair. But its a position thats pretty sought after, she adds, having joined the team full-time in 2011. We dont have a lot of members that are new to the job that come down and work here."
Rather, to move into the role, you have to acquire many years of experience in traditional policing. But one thing you dont need is Robert Redford's knack with horses; that, you can learn from the two trainers, one of whom happens to be Henkel.
While the horses can be seen patrolling the more than 1,000 acres and 125 miles of roads and trails of Stanley Park, you are just as likely to come across them in the heart of the West End, or at Granville and Davie or Main and Hastings.
In the summer, Henkel says one of the units primary roles in the park and along the beaches is tracking down children who have become separated from their parents in the crowd. They also keep an eye out for open alcohol, so sun seekers take note.
The Mounted Unit, which has been in service intermittently since 1908, has evolved to take on a much larger role in the management of crowds at events like the fireworks at English Bay, and appearances at special functions such as the Santa Claus Parade. The squad also played an integral role in diffusing the violence during the 2011 Stanley Cup riot.
"We had six horses out that night, and they were absolutely fantastic throughout that entire five hours of moving crowds and having things thrown at them. They just went out there and did their job calmly like it was a regular training day, and none of the horses were hurt, none of the riders were hurt and none of the general public was hurt. It's pretty amazing when everybody gets back to the stables safe and sound and your horse has carried you through this chaotic situation. You're pretty thankful for that."
One of our cover horses, Turbo, along with his brother, was gifted to the unit by London Drugs in 2012 as thanks for the mounted squads role in protecting London Drugs employees from looters.
