Horses helping protect the border

Posted: Nov 18, 2010 5:13 PM
Updated: Nov 19, 2010 8:37 AM

Riding the border on the backs of horse's federal agents on the look out for smugglers and illegal border crossers.

The horses trained by inmates now being used to hunt down illegal activity.

It's part of the Noble Mustang program that the Border Patrol started in the Spokane Sector in 2007.

The horses are rescued by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management and are trained by inmates in Colorado as part of their inmate rehabilitation program. The Tucson Sector recently received ten of those horses. Currently there are 120 horses in the unit.

Bobbi Schad is the Horse Patrol Supervisor. She says the Noble Mustang Program is saving taxpayers money.

Most of the horses they currently have cost between $2,500-$4,000 a piece.

They buy the Mustangs for $925. $25.00 goes to BLM and $900 to Colorado Correctional Institute.

Officials say the Mustangs are tough and durable horses that have very solid hooves, which makes them less prone to injuries and better suited for the rugged terrain in Southern Arizona.

The Tucson Sector Horse Patrol unit was responsible for more than 18,000 apprehensions and more than 93,000 pounds of marijuana from October 1, 2009 to August 31, 2010.

Border Patrol intends on purchasing more Mustangs as they replace the horses they currently have.

http://www.kvoa.com/news/horses-helping ... he-border/