I S S U E 2

What's in a Name?

Once a horse has been successfully trained, the
Mounted Unit names it in a formal ceremony. This
marks the horse's acceptance as a disciplined police
mount.

Although a horse may be named occasionally after
its donor, most horses are named after police
officers killed in the course of duty.

One of the favorite horses of Troop B in Manhattan
is Cannon, a 15-year-old brown gelding. Cannon was named five years ago after deceased NYPD officer Raymond Cannon, Jr., of the 69th Precinct.

This memorial photo of Police Officer Raymond Cannon, Jr., is tacked above his namesake's stall.	Cannon, a 15-year-old chestnut gelding, was formally named after Officer Cannon five years ago.

FFICER CANNON, 26, was
killed during a botched robbery
of a Brooklyn bicycle shop on
Dec. 4, 1994.

Cannon and other officers were responding to a robbery call at the bicycle shop. Upon entering the store, they were told by two of the robbers, posing as employees, that there had been a false alarm. Seconds later, a third robber fired bullets into Cannon's forehead and mouth.

At a trial for one of the robbers, Assistant District Attorney Michael Vecchione ended his closing argument by reading a poem called "The Policeman's Prayer."

This poem is posted on Cannon's stall in the Troop B stables, along with a photo of the slain officer.

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