An already impressive collection of Exercise Pitch Black 24 horsepower was taken up a notch recently when the Queensland Mounted Police Unit (QMPU) visited RAAF Base Amberley.
The activity was the most recent phase of preparing troop horses to carry out their duties at Brisbane's upcoming Riverfire event.
QMPU's Sergeant Ben Bassingthwaighte said exposing troop horses to jet noise assists in identifying which ones will be more operationally effective and helps to mitigate the risks of working with large animals in a crowded environment.
"Exposure to stimulus is part of our normal training for the troop horses and is carried out three times a week at the unit. However, when it is identified that an event will have a unique challenge for the horse, specific training such as attending the base may be completed," Sergeant Bassingthwaighte said.
"Even then, training can be progressive to give the horses the best chance of succeeding. In this instance, jet noises were played on a speaker at different volumes during their morning routine."
The combination of horse and rider will provide a unique platform to monitor crowds at the event from an elevated position and can serve as the equivalent of a number of officers on the ground in crowd-control situations.
Flight Lieutenant Christopher Bassingthwaighte was involved in the combined effort from 1 Squadron, 23 Squadron, 33 Squadron and Joint Military Police Unit to facilitate the activity.
"We aligned the visit with the flying program such that the horses were progressively exposed to more and more noise. First the KC-30 take-offs, then the C-17 take-off, then the F/A-18F and EA-18G take-offs," Flight Lieutenant Bassingthwaighte said.
"The visit to the base also had secondary, less tangible benefits, namely that all base personnel were offered access to the horses, which was a great mental health break in their day. We had about 100 base personnel visit over the course of an hour to meet QMPU officers and their troop horses."
After the noise exposure activity, the 1 Squadron pilot and weapons systems officer, who will be conducting this year's Riverfire flying display, hosted the QMPU personnel and gave them the opportunity to view a Super Hornet.
Interagency collaboration was another a benefit of the day, with the QMPU gaining an understanding of how RAAF Base Amberley works, which can inform any future policing responses to assist the Air Force.
