Border cavalry will be in Belarus - I. Rachkovsky

August 13, Polotsk / Diana Kurilo - BELTA/. The experiment on horse patrolling of the State Border is proceeding successfully, stated the Chairman of the State Border Committee of Belarus Igor Rachkovsky, answering a question from a BELTA correspondent. Today in Polotsk, the head of the border agency participated in the solemn ceremony of recruits taking the oath.

"Horse details will be on duty at the border. Practice has shown that there is a positive impact. Border cavalry will exist," said Igor Rachkovsky.

At the beginning of this year, the State Border Committee decided to revive the tradition of patrolling the border on horseback. One outpost in the Grodno border group and one in the Polotsk border detachment became participants in the experiment, which will last for two years. The horse patrol sections were chosen considering that there are quite a few tourist sites in them. In the zone of responsibility of the Grodno border guards, this concerns the Augustow Canal, and for the Polotsk detachment, the Lake Osvyeykoye area.

The first horse detail of Belarusian border guards went on patrol at the beginning of May at the "Soveyki" outpost of the Polotsk border detachment. The border guards underwent special training and learned horse riding, studied the specifics and zooveterinary requirements for keeping horses at the Republican Center for Olympic Training in Equestrian Sports and Horse Breeding and at the equestrian school operating in the agricultural enterprise "Osvyeykoye". The selection of candidates for the horse detail was meticulous, prioritizing conscripts from rural areas, those with veterinary or zootechnical education, and, of course, a love for horses.

Choosing from many breeds, the border guards settled on the Trakehner, or as it is also called, the riding and harness breed, and the Belarusian harness breed. Horses of these breeds are hardy, have strong legs, and, importantly, have a good temperament.

It is worth noting that maneuverable, well-trained, armed, and equipped horse units are successfully used by the border guard services and police of many countries around the world. The Border Service of the FSB of Russia can boast its own cavalry.-0-