A newly qualified police horse who “loves showing off his dressage skills” has officially been named.
On 30 December, Irish draught Ben was renamed Redcliffe by Avon and Somerset Police chief constable Sarah Crew at an informal ceremony.
Redcliffe joined the police in February 2021 from Ireland aged six and underwent training with PC Helen De Heaume. He will now continue his education with PC Amy Huxtable.
The force has a tradition of naming its horses after places within Avon and Somerset. Redcliffe takes his new name after the historic area of Bristol, which is home to ancient landmarks including the medieval St Mary Redcliffe Church, where the gelding’s naming ceremony took place.
“Redcliffe shares the same colour in his coat as the red sandstone cliffs which line the southern side of the Floating Harbour,” said a police spokesman.
“A friendly and patient horse, Redcliffe has already proven himself to be excellent at interacting with the public with a love for attention from anyone willing to give him a pat while on patrol. He also loves showing off his dressage skills. He has already helped the mounted section patrol all areas of Avon and Somerset.”
The ceremony was attended by vicar Canon Dan Tyndall, PC Tristan Smith with police horse Somerset, and officers from the Bridewell neighbourhood policing team.
“Naming our horse Redcliffe is a tribute to one of our most historic and popular areas of Bristol,” said mounted section sergeant Hannah Clarke
“Having worked extremely hard during his first 10 months with us, it’s a delight to see Ben move into the new year with his official name. As he now steps forward into the next stage of his career as a police horse, we are confident he will make the area after which he is named extremely proud.”
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