Diverting attention

Last week there was a huge uproar from the left regarding the actions of Border Patrol Mounted Unit agents working the southern border. Photos were released showing Border Patrol agents on horseback working along the Rio Grande River to keep Haitian immigrants from illegally entering the United States. The allegations are that the agents were using their reins to whip the migrants. As we’ve come to expect, the Biden administration is entirely off base. Let’s have a look.

First a little background information. I used to work for the Mounted Unit in Los Angeles. I’m quite familiar with the training that takes place and how/when the horses are deployed. I’ve ridden horses into dozens of crowd control situations and can quite comfortably state that it’s a difficult job. It can be quite a challenge to control the most well-trained horse in a chaotic situation and still focus on accomplishing the mission. I offer this information only to explain that I view the actions of the Border Patrol agents from the perspective of someone who has actually done that type of work.

The allegation is that the agents were using their reins to whip the migrants. These allegations are made by people who are not experienced horse people. As a very basic and simple explanation, reins are one way of controlling the horse. The reins shown in the photos are called split reins. Essentially, two separate 6- foot leather straps attached to either side of the horses bit/bridle. There is another type of one-piece rein commonly called roping reins. In this configuration, each end of a long strip of leather is attached to either side of the bit/bridle, creating a loop. A number of factors go into the choice of rein used. For example, with split reins, the ‘tail’ of the rein can be used as an additional cue to control the horse. On some horses this is important. Another consideration is simply rider preference. A rider who is often mounting/dismounting might like split reins because he/she could maintain control of the horse when dismounting by holding onto the left rein. Conversely, someone like a team roper, who would probably stay mounted for a long time, would likely choose a roping rein. My choice of rein was always dependent on the horse I would be riding.

A concern for a rider entering a crowd control situation, is someone on the ground getting control of a rein or the horse's bridle. It’s a significant safety issue! A person on the ground, yanking on a rein, can have a certain amount of control of the horse. This was such a significant threat that the Mounted Unit in Los Angeles trained with and carried a weapon called a bokken. A bokken is, in essence, a wooden samurai sword. It is an approximately 4-foot piece of hardwood, shaped to resemble a samurai sword and used in martial arts training. We adopted the bokken as a weapon because it is long enough to be used when mounted, to protect the horse and rider. We trained a great deal to condition the horses to accept the weapon being swung around their heads. The reason? We had to be able to strike the hand of a demonstrator who was trying to gain control of the horse.

Not one of the photos of the incident in question show the “tail” of the split reins being used by a rider to whip a person. The individual who took the photos has stated for the record that he never saw an individual whipped by the reins. There were no images of a bokken, or any other striking weapon being used by the mounted agents.

So why the uproar? The Biden administration has to do anything possible to divert attention away from their failures at the border. If that means punishing Border Patrol agents who were simply doing their job, well, so be it! Let me quote Joe Biden; “It's horrible what you saw. To see people like they did, with horses, running them over, people being strapped, it's outrageous. I promise you, those people will pay. There is an investigation underway right now and there will be consequences.” He said that although there was no photo of anyone being “strapped” or run over. Now, let’s dissect the last two sentences in his statement. Hasn’t he already drawn a conclusion? Does anyone really expect a fair investigation when the President has stated the outcome he expects? Isn’t his statement in effect the equivalent of saying “let’s give them a fair trial before we hang them?”

To make the situation even more ridiculous, Black Lives Matter showed up to protest. Protest what?! What about this event demonstrated some sort of racist agenda? Simply because Haitians have black skin? Those Border Patrol agents weren’t riding their horses down the shore of the river for no reason. They were intentionally deployed by their superiors in reaction to an unlawful act by a large group of people.

Finally, we’ll have fewer, and even more demoralized, Border Patrol agents in the next few weeks. Biden has stated that agents refusing to get the COVID vaccine will be subject to termination. This is being mandated despite the fact that migrants are being allowed to enter the country without any requirement to be vaccinated. Absolutely absurd, but, unfortunately, typical of this administration’s insane thought processes.

Blaine Blackstone is a retired Los Angeles Police Sergeant who enjoys the simpler life in Thompson Falls.