By Megan Venable
When Knoxville Police Chief Paul Noel voiced interest in bringing back a mounted patrol unit to the area after an absence of 70 years, Captain Ryan Morrow spoke up immediately with, “I’m your guy. Please let me do it.” An avid horseperson all his life, Morrow grew up backpacking in the Smokies and bought his first horse 30 years ago, making him a natural fit for the role. “A buddy of mine had a pregnant mare in ’97 or ’98,” he says of his first horse. “I bought my first colt for $400.”
Morrow brought the mounted patrol back online in 2024 and was sitting horseback in public for the first time at the opening of Smokies Stadium at Covenant Health Park. “I was a little nervous,” he admits, “but that went away pretty quick.” He credits his confidence in the five horses and seven officers to the rigorous training everyone experienced initially and continued ongoing monthly exercises to keep everyone sharp.
Officers may try out for a position as a mounted patrol participant after a minimum of three years as a sworn officer and 150 hours in the saddle. Those who make the cut are sent to a certified mounted patrol school in Nashville before serving as mounted patrol here in Knoxville. At their monthly training sessions, Morrow oversees officers working with their horses to ensure that any surprises, including gunfire and accidental contact with the mounts, happen in the training arena off Strawberry Plains Pike. “Everyone is training for nothing to surprise them,” Morrow says. “If you’re going to be surprised, you’ll be surprised right here.”
The visibility of the mounted police is a benefit for both officers physically and as a connection to the community when out in public. The height of the horses lends themselves well to crowd control for officers and serves as a deterrent to crime. Also, people are naturally attracted to the sight of horses in downtown Knoxville. “It draws people to the officer,” Morrow says. “No one will talk to an officer on a bike or in a car. Nothing prevents someone coming up to someone on horseback.”
Serving as head of the mounted police is only part of Captain Morrow’s duties, as he also oversees the KPD major crimes division. “This is the best part of my career,” Morrow avows. “I would beg the chief to put me here full-time. I’d like the program to grow larger and maybe have three more officers to be certified.” However, if given enough funding he would want the mounted patrol downtown seven days a week. “I want a hundred of them,” he laughs. “It’s like magic.”