Friends of the Bethlehem Mounted Police secure $50,000 in funding

Friends of the Bethlehem Mounted Police recently received a $50,000 state grant to fund new training structures for the city’s mounted police unit.

Marissa Zondag, president of the Friends of the Bethlehem Mounted Police, said the funding was used to build a round pen, a training space designed to prepare horses for patrolling, improve safety and build trust between officers and their horses. 

Zondag said the round pen is 60 feet in diameter and allows officers to work with horses on the ground without tack equipment. It also allows officers to observe horses’ behavior in a controlled setting.

Mounted Police Officer Ryan Danko — who served 17 years in the Bethlehem Police Department and is currently in his ninth year in the mounted unit — said the round pen has already improved the horses’ training.

He said the pen allows officers to build trust through direct interaction rather than relying on equipment, and in some cases, officers can even remove the lead line entirely, guiding the horse using only voice and body movement.

“(The round pen) encourages trust and respect through that communication,” Danko said. “When you eliminate all those distractions, you get a lot better communication with the horse.”

He said the round pen is also useful for evaluating horses before patrol. Officers can observe movement, check for injuries and allow horses to release extra energy before going into crowded areas.

Zondag said these interactions also make it easier for law enforcement to engage with community members and develop friendly relationships.

“You’re never going to go up and pet a police car, but you would go up and pet a horse,” she said.

Danko said the horses also strengthen community connections, adding that the unit depends heavily on community support and wouldn’t exist without it.

The funding for the project was pursued by board member Sue Leeson, who said she sources grant opportunities for the organization, often looking to state offices for available funding that could support the nonprofit.

After several months of communication with the office of Lisa Boscola, Leeson said she received a call in March informing her that the organization had secured the $50,000 state grant, which was awarded on March 15.

“I was in shock,” Leeson said. “I got the phone call while I was outside doing yard work.” 

She said the grant was awarded through the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development’s Keystone Communities Initiatives program, which supports community development projects, adding that the organization spent months evaluating different options before ultimately deciding the round pen was the best use of the funding. 

Zondag said Friends of the Bethlehem Mounted Police is a nonprofit organization with 40 volunteers and an 11-member board.

She said the group is always looking for volunteers and encourages local students to get involved with horse care and events.

Danko said the nonprofit also plays a key role in keeping the mounted police unit running.

“If it wasn’t for (the state grant), we wouldn’t be here,” Danko said. “This is expensive.”

He said the unit relies on community support, including the volunteers who help with daily tasks such as feeding, grooming and handling the horses.

Zondag said because of the high costs of caring for horses, there are only five mounted police units in Pennsylvania, making community support essential to their continued operation.