Meet Ortona, a former show jumper who's joined Calgary police

Calgary police have just introduced their newest four-legged member: Ortona, a 12-year-old Percheron cross gelding.

Ortona used to compete in show jumping events and is expected to be a "friendly addition" to the CPS mounted unit, according to a police release.

Ortona, a 12-year-old gelding, is the Calgary police's newest service horse

8 years ago

Duration 0:32

Calgary police have just introduced their newest four-legged member: Ortona, a 12-year-old Percheron cross gelding.

The police service horse replacesRanger, a 10-year-old gelding who had been with the force for five years before passing away in November.

• Calgary's mounted patrol: A unique kind of policing

A tribute to Canadian military

Ortona is named to pay tribute to the Canadian veterans who fought in the the Battle of Ortona, which occurred in Italy during the Second World War in December 1943.

More than 1,300 Canadians were killed and roughly 960 were woundedduring that week of fighting.

In 2016, the CPS implemented a new naming tradition, under which all new horses are tobe named after historical Canadian battle honours. The distinction is determined by The Canadian Forces and provides public recognition for participation in significant battles.

Ortona is the second horse to be named under this new tradition, following Vimy, who joined the unit in June.

Calgary police say having officers on horseback allows for higher observation vantage points and greater effectiveness in urban search and rescue, crowd management and de-escalation, as well as patrolling in parks, wooded areas, and riverbanks.