Pat, Joe, Paul and Ron, and all the others, I wasn't dead or missing, or abducted by aliens, but up to mi neck in paperwork for the last months so I haven't put aside some time to visit the forums very often or to post anything.
When I was writing originally this text was, last Saturday morning, (was 12:42 PM in Chile) and I was at ¡¡My office!!! working [V] instead of spending some time with wife and kid, but that's how life is right now.
First of all, I want to welcome my countryman at the forum George Seal, (BTW not a very Spanish name, English ancestors perhaps?, I have some Irish in my family tree)
Regarding the picture of a fallen Chilean policeman that Pat brought to my attention, I want to explain how the circumstances were that accident happened.
Bigger picture:
Smaller picture:
That happened on May the 21st, during the annual State of the Nation Speech given by the current President Mr. Lagos, in front of both houses of Congress. As is a little off topic, I'll provide some historic background on the significance to us of May, 21st on another thread.
Before that day left wing demonstrators threatened to march against the government so a strong National Police contingent was deployed, among them, Mounted Units. For what I know that fall was not caused by the action of the rioters but because of the street being slippery (was raining all day). Fortunately, neither horse or rider where severely injured. On the other hand, in a tragic accident that day a motorist in the Presidential motorcade slipped over and die.
Nevertheless the incidents were serious, a thing that Chileans are not used to in the last 10 years
I have provided this information before, but it’s useful to post it again.
At the turn of the century President Germán Riesco ordered that the cavalry regiments Dragones (Dragoons), Lanceros (Lancers), Guías (Guides) y Cazadores (Chasseurs) detached an squadron each and put them under orders of the Secretary of the Interior (which in Chile is tasked with public safety) . That way they formed in 1902 the “Gendarmerie Regiment” to quell with rural delinquency, later it was called “Regiment of Carabineers”, and later Carabineers Corps . After 1927 this unit along with municipal urban polices and another rural unit that operates along the “Frontier” the “Colonies Gendarmerie” ( the territory seized from the araucanos - our native Americans) were put together as national police of military character called “Carabineros de Chile”.
I’ve made this prologue to explain that here in Chile the national police – Carabineros – has a strong horse tradition, as strong as the army’s, and they compete to each other every year in the equestrian championships. They also have an equitation school and policemen that serves on the border - officers and troop - have to be horse qualified.
Mounted services at the major cities were suspended in the early sixties but they were reinstated in a small scale in 1987 when the Pope visit Chile. Due to the positive outcome, they’ve been thoroughly expanded in every major city - and beach resorts during summer - and lately a whole precinct was transformed to mounted service in Santiago, the 51 Mounted Precinct, with more that 120 troopers, that can be expanded to up to 300 if the need arises with horse qualified personnel from the Officer’s Academy, NCOs School and Equitation School.
These are from the national police (Carabineros) cavalry acrobatic team, calle Green Cadre
Border patrol armed with Model 57 Sig Swiss made assault rifles 308 Win caliber.
Not very good looking horses, sometimes at the border Carabineros purchase horses directly from local farmers, usually with some Chilean Criollo blood in them, terrific when it comes to the mountains, but not for show.
¿Maybe Mules?
Patrolling at the northern city of Antofagasta, during National Holidays, September 21, 2003.
Patrolling at the northern city of Iquique (formerly peruvian), January 13, 2002.
First Sargeant Fernández showing the italian made rubber horseshoes of the Bosana brand ($77 the 4 piece set) in use in downtown Santiago.
Policemen, excusem me, Policepersons at service at Santiago downtown, present day, passing in front of the equestrian statue of don Pedro de Valdivia, the spanish conquistador who in February 12, 1541 founded Santiago del Nuevo Extremo, my town, to be latter killed in the south by the araucanos, pretty good horsemen themselves.
Duty in the southern backcountry, ¡¡¡good flyfihing indeed!!![8D].
Cadets of the Carabineros Officer’s Academy. The riding boots are part of the standard uniform of the male students.
This picture was taken in August 1973, it shows Air Force CinC General Gustavo Leigh Guzmán, as he leaves La Moneda (the Presidential Palace) and a Guard of Palace – a corporal stands by (look at his boots).
On September 11, 1973 Leigh ordered the bombardment of the Palace in order to force Allende’s surrender, and when the british made Hawker Hunter fighter bombers hit, the Palace caught fire, causing the image the left worships.
And finally, an odd picture. This picture has created controversy because the photographer didn’t see the small ¿thing? That later appeared when he developed the shot of the 2 policemen.
