Police horses, dogs help bring life back to Kankaria Carnival in Gujarat

The monotony caused by repetition of old items at the ongoing Kankaria carnival was dispelled somewhat on Wednesday when personnel of the Gujarat police put up some spectacular shows.

But what thrilled visitors the most was the much-awaited horse show held on the football ground located near the Kankaria Lake.

Personnel of the state's Mounted Police and their six horses performed some breathtaking stunts before a cheering crowd.

Around 15 riders drawn from different units of the Mounted Police took part in the show. One of the police riders said the show was a rehearsal for the upcoming national-level horse riding championship for police scheduled for February in Uttar Pradesh.

"It takes nine months to train these horses," said Kalpesh Kahar, head constable of Baroda rural division, which owns 16 horses.

"They are also very useful in night patrolling and chasing criminals in remote villages and forest areas."

The Mounted Police of Gujarat have 3 different breeds of horses — Kaathi, Marvadi and Arabian. "These horses can serve us for as long as 20 years and they are more reliable than vehicles," said Ishwar Rathod of Surat (rural) mounted division.

Rathod put up a spectacular show with his female horse named Jyoti. Earlier, he and Jyoti had won two gold and two silver medals in the national championship.

After the soothing hurdle-jumps performed by the horses, it was time for police's sniffer dogs to entertain the crowds. 11 dogs, including Labradors and Dobermans, and their handlers entertained a large crowd near stage 2 at the carnival site.

"These dogs are trained for different purposes," said MF Patel, police inspector overseeing training of police dogs in Ahmedabad.

"Some are trained in detecting narcotics, some in explosives and some others in tracking fugitives."

The dogs performed stunts before an impressed audience and easily identified bags containing explosives. The show educated people about sniffer dogs’ role in solving crime-related puzzles.