Summer Resident Campaigns To Save Wayne County's Mounted Patrol
"Tell it to the Horse Marines"

Retired Brigadier General Bob Raisch (center), of Lathrup Village, stands with Wayne County Sheriff Warren Evans and one of the mounted patrol horses.

- Old Saying

I have known Bob and Susie Raisch for close to 20 years. They have a lovely cottage tucked away in the West Bluff Annex, and are the parents of three (now adult) daughters, who always had a soft spot for horses. The girls rode, and enjoyed being around horses, and both Bob and Susie can be defined as "animal lovers." The pair have been involved in the Adopt-a-Greyhound program for a very long time. Over the years, they always have taken their canine companions to the Island.

It was not until this summer, at a garden party, when a comment made by Bob Raisch's daughter, Laura, enlightened me to the realization of how committed a horseman her father is. This was news.

Mr. Raisch has actually spearheaded a campaign to save the Wayne County Sheriff's Office Mounted Unit, in southeastern Michigan. Yes, we are talking about a mounted law enforcement patrol and their horses. Quite an undertaking from someone who, I thought, only had a passing interest. Was I wrong.

The more I talked to Mr. Raisch, the more I became intrigued. Several years ago, he first became fascinated with a trooper and his horse in New York City. He happened upon an amiable officer with his outstanding equine partner named Jack Frost. According to Mr. Raisch, Jack was a most magnificent and friendly looking animal. It was by pure happenstance that Mr. Raisch encountered the officer and his mount another time, and the two talked about the horses, the work, the training, the involvement, and dedication in the New York City Mounted Police service.

The Raischs' off-season home is in the Detroit suburb of Lathrup Village, but the family has a long-standing affiliation with Mariner's Hall and Church in Detroit, as well as in the Detroit theater scene. Detroit has meant much to both Mr. and Mrs. Raisch. As it happened, Mr. Raisch became aware that the City of Detroit was on the brink of losing its historic mounted patrol division. Inspired by the New York City trooper and his unforgettable horse, Jack Frost, Mr. Raisch tried to see if he could help in his own urban area.

One of the interesting things about Bob Raisch, besides that he is a summer cottager with greyhounds on Mackinac, is that he is also known as the "General." This is because he is actually retired Marine Corps Brigadier General Robert S. Raisch. He is true to the Corps. He is a person who knows how to get things done.

So, in the summer of 2005, General Raisch, along with some of Detroit's officials in the business community, decided to try to form a foundation to save the mounted unit, the City of Detroit's "Horse Force." Owing to the lack of police manpower, and an endless array of financial cuts, the project failed. In 2006, it was Wayne County Sheriff Warren Evans who contacted the General to see if he and his colleagues would be willing to help the mounted horse unit of Wayne County.

General Raisch and compatriots agreed to undertake the challenge, and the "Restore the Horse Foundation" was born. Inside Detroit itself, the Motor City Horse Force was founded.