Kids on Horses

On October 3, between 10:00 and 11:00 a.m., the Benton County Sheriff’s Mounted Posse is hosting their 11th annual horseback ride event for children with special needs and their siblings. The event takes place at the Benton County Fairgrounds and is sponsored by Sheriff Jef Van Arsdall.Children aged 3 to 18, capable of holding themselves up, will be helped onto the horse and led around the arena. Special safety accommodations will be made for mounting/dismounting and for the duration of the ride. To commemorate the event, photographs of a rider with the horse will be taken in front of a green screen and printed with a scenic background for each child. Release forms must be signed for each rider during registration which will take place at 9:30 a.m. the day of the event.  

Benton County Sheriff’s Mounted Posse is one of 18 in Oregon and was formed in 1946 to assist the Sheriff’s Office and local and state agencies in the preservation of law and order, search and rescue, and emergency services, as well as promote horsemanship and western traditions. 

Today, the Posse, a volunteer organization of 12 human-and-horse duos, participates in events such as the ride for children with special needs, search and rescue training and missions, livestock rescue, desensitization training, parades, rides, and other community festivities and education.   

It is noteworthy that two–thirds of the humans in the Posse are women. It is unclear how many of the horses are mares.