26 SIDELINES SEPTEMBER 2012
FOR HORSE PEOPLE • ABOUT HORSE PEOPLE
By Abby Westmark
Sherman has a lot of titles under his belt. He’s
an offcer with his local police force in Willoughby,
Ohio, a Lieutenant with the local fre department
and he’s won two international mounted police
titles, all at the surprisingly young age of 12. Oh,
did we mention that he’s a horse?
Sherman’s mom, Offcer Taya Workum-Byers,
has had the 14 year old Saddlebred/Clydesdale
cross since he was just one year old. He was two
when she went into the police academy and joined
her in civil service 10 ½ years ago.
“Sherman is a one of a kind horse,” says
Taya. “He is big, beautiful and has a wonderful
temperament. I am convinced that he thinks all
people were put on earth to pet him, tell him how
wonderful he is and give him treats!” Sherman’s
view is one that many of us recognize in our
horses; but his choice of treats is a little less
conventional.
“He loves strawberry sour patch kids and all
different favors of Twizzlers!” says Taya. “He
also has a weird affnity for mascots, like Brutus
Buckeye from Ohio State University and Skipper
from the local minor league baseball team. He
likes to headbutt their costume heads.” Perhaps
he thinks they will magically produce Twizzlers?
Of course, life for Sherman is more than just fun
and games. In addition to his duties as mounted
patrol, Sherman works for the fre department,
providing his services as a “mounted medic” for the
local annual 10k run, where Sherman and Taya
can reach areas that ambulances can’t in case of
emergency. As a Lieutenant, Sherman commands
a lot of respect around the fre department, even
from his mom. “He actually outranks me,” says
Taya.
Although Sherman is the only horse on the
Willoughby police force, he and Taya get plenty
of co worker socialization time - Ohio’s mounted
units train together as often as possible, and work
together at many of the state’s larger events. And
when he’s not helping out at fairs, festivals and the
occasional riot, we can only assume that Sherman
is catching criminals by staying true to his full
name - Flying W Farms Undercover.
Do you know of a horse with an interesting career
that deserves a place as Sidelines Sidekick? Email
us at editor@sidelinesnews.com for a chance to
have your equine companion featured here.
e
Sherman and Offcer Taya Workum-Byers
Celebrating A Different Kind of Horsepower