A Minneapolis police officer who was thrown from her horse during a routine training exercise Wednesday afternoon will be kept overnight at a hospital, authorities said.
The officer was bucked from her mount about 12:40 p.m. at the training field in the 4100 block of Dupont Avenue N., said police spokeswoman Cyndi Barrington.
"The horse got spooked," Barrington said. "The officer landed on the ground ... he stomped on her chest after he was coming down."
The officer, who was wearing her bulletproof vest and a riding helmet, was taken to North Memorial Medical Center in Robbinsdale for treatment, Barrington said.
"I don't know the nature and extent of her injuries, but she was conscious and complaining of some injuries," the spokeswoman said. Later, an update from the department's Twitter account said the officer didn't have major injuries but would stay overnight for observation.
Barrington described the officer, whose identity was not being released, as an experienced rider who was on the horse she usually rides.
"It's just one of those things that can happen when you are dealing with a large animal," Barrington said.
The horse, which has been part of the mounted patrol for "a few years," was not hurt and returned to the field in the afternoon with a new rider, she added.
New recruits were at the facility at the time observing the officers and their horses as they trained for how to control large crowds, Barrington said.
Copyright 2013 - Star Tribune (Minneapolis)
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
