On 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 department participated in the solemn ceremony of recruits taking the oath. "Horse patrols 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 border patrolling on horseback. One outpost each in the Grodno border group and Polotsk border detachment areas became participants in the experiment, which will last for two years. The horse patrolling sections were chosen considering that they contain a significant number of tourist sites. In the area of responsibility of the Grodno border guards, this applies to the August Canal, and for the Polotsk detachment, it is the area of Lake Osveyskoye. The first horse patrol of Belarusian border guards went on duty in early 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 "Osveyskoye". The selection of candidates for the horse patrol was meticulous, with preference given to 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, also known as the riding and harness horse, and the Belarusian harness horse. Horses of these breeds are hardy, have strong legs, and, importantly, have a good temperament. It is worth noting that mobile, well-trained, armed, and equipped horse units are successfully used by border guard services and police in many countries around the world. The Border Service of the FSB of Russia can boast its own cavalry. -0-

BELTA