‘Always brought a smile’: Beloved first horse of Chesterfield Sheriff’s mounted unit dies
VENN
CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) -- The first horse of the Chesterfield County Sheriff's Office's Mounted Unit -- a "beloved member" of the team and a "trusted partner" -- has died.
On Thursday, March 5, 22-year-old Scooter the Dark Bay Quarter horse died after a "long battle with health issues," according to a March 6 press release from the sheriff's office.
"To Scooter, there were no strangers," said his handler, Deputy Acuff, in the release. "Only friends he hadn't yet met."
Just a week prior to his death, Scooter attended the Jack & Jill of America Midlothian Chapter's Public Safety Day. There, he showcased his "calm demeanor during high sensory environments," which he was well-known for, per the sheriff's office.
Scooter, the first horse of the Chesterfield County Sheriff Office's Mounted Unit, and his handler, Deputy Acuff. (Photo: Chesterfield County Sheriff's Office)
Memorial saddle for Scooter, the first horse of the Chesterfield County Sheriff Office's Mounted Unit. (Photo: Chesterfield County Sheriff's Office)
"He always brought a smile to the faces of citizens, adults and children alike, wherever he was," the sheriff's office said.
Scooter spent 15 years working in law enforcement mounted service, with four of those years spent with Chesterfield. When Sheriff Karl Leonard established Chesterfield's mounted unit in 2022, Scooter was its first horse.
