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21st July 2019
Fair mounted patrol unit celebrates 50th anniversary amid uncertainty
In the 32 years he's served on the Wisconsin State Fair Police's mounted patrol unit, Joe Volz has seen a lot.
There was the time Volz and his horse Montana chased a purse snatcher out of the fairgrounds, across Greenfield Avenue and into the alleyways – "he'd go through the backyards; I'd go through the backyards" – until the suspect finally surrendered.
Then there were the racially charged mob attacks in 2011.
Mostly, though, Volz and Montana, at 19 years the longest serving horse in the unit, have met many, many people. This year is no different.
"Can anyone get kicked by one of these things?" one woman asked, gingerly stroking Montana's head.
"Yes, they can. I've seen it," Volz affirmed. "People fly. They fly without wings."