Toronto Police named a new equine member of their Mounted Unit after Sgt. Ryan Russell, an officer killed while on duty in January 2011.

 “Russell,” the newest member of the Mounted Unit, is a purebred four-year-old Clydesdale.

Members of Sgt. Russell’s family were in attendance, including his widow Christine Russell who said it was “a wonderful way to remember Ryan.” Their son Nolan was given the first ride on the horse.

Chief Mark Saunders welcomed Russell to the unit at the Horse Palace in Exhibition Place. He said Sgt. Russell was “a fantastic man who exemplified all the great qualities in policing.”

The officer was killed after being hit with a snowplow by a man named Richard Kachkar. Kachkar stole the snowplow while it was idling and smashed it into several parked cars, eventually hitting the officer. Kachkar was found not criminally responsible after his defence argued he was mentally ill.

This year is the 130th anniversary of the Mounted Unit in Toronto, which dates back to 1886. According to the TPS website, horses first joined the police force that year to help suppress a streetcar strike. The Governor General’s Horse Guard Regiment was called in and shortly after the Toronto Mounted Unit was created.

Today, the Mounted Unit is mostly used to respond quickly to calls, often being used to break up situations with a larger presence than can be attained by standing officers. The horses and officers in the unit also do a lot of work with crowd control at parades and large events.

The Toronto Police have named many of the current horses in the unit after fallen officers or important historical events. Elvis is a horse named for Const. Elvic Zovic, who was killed in a traffic accident in 2002 and Bobby is named for Const. Bobby Wright, who was killed by a vehicle in 1945 on a routine watch.

Russell the horse is halfway through a training program that will take one full year. The police expect he will be ready for duty in October. They say he has been a quick learner and they have high hopes for his service.