The entire Board can be contacted at [email protected] or individually:

NAMUCA President

Kevin Brady, Retired – Sergeant Special Assignment                                                                      New York City Police Department                                                                                                  Mounted Unit Remount Commander                                                                    [email protected]

Retired Sergeant Brady was appointed to the NYPD in July of 1987, was promoted to the rank of Sergeant in May of 1998, and promoted to the rank of Sergeant Special Assignment in 2014. He joined the NYPD Mounted Unit in 2004 and in 2011 he became the Units Remount Commander. As the Remount Commander, he supervised the purchase and training of all new Remounts, the Remount School of Horsemanship (a 12-week school training new Mounted Officers), the Remount Instructors, the Unit’s three Farriers, the Harness Shop, and Remount Special Projects (medical records, pharmaceuticals, annual deworming/vaccinations and horse retirement, lease, and purchase contracts). As the Remount Commander, he was responsible for the health and well-being of the entire herd and worked closely with the Department’s Veterinarian.

Kevin also completely revised and rewrote the NYPD Mounted Unit’s operational manual, “A Guide to Urban Police Horsemanship”. He has attained two certifications for Technical Large Animal Rescue and had organized and set up an equine ambulance and large animal rescue equipment for the Unit. In 2019, after 32 years of service, Kevin retired from the NYPD.

Kevin has been serving on the NAMUCA board since 2019, first as the Region 1 Director, then as the Secretary, and now as the President.

NAMUCA Secretary

Chris Peña, Retired – Lieutenant                                                                                                      Anaheim Police Department, CA                                                                                                            Mounted Enforcement Unit                                                                                                          [email protected]

Lieutenant Chris Peña is a 23-year veteran of the Anaheim (CA) Police Department’s Mounted Enforcement Unit. He graduated from Sacramento County Sheriff’s basic mounted school in 1996 and holds POST instructor certificates in Mounted Baton / Defensive Tactics, Mounted Patrol and Mobile Field Force/ Crowd Control. He is a founding member of the Orange County Regional Mounted Enforcement Unit as well as an instructor with the California Mounted Officers Association.

In 1997, Chris was part of a group of Southern California mounted officers who were invited to ride in the Presidential Inaugural Parade in Washington D.C. and in 2013, he and the Anaheim Mounted Unit rode in the Tournament of Roses Parade. In 2004, Chris was promoted to the rank of Sergeant and supervised the Mounted Unit for the next 10 years. In 2014, Chris was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant and now is the police department’s Mounted Unit Commander. He is an active police trail trials competitor and helps train mounted units throughout the state in mounted crowd control, baton and defensive tactics.

Chris was the 2016 California Mounted Officer of the Year and holds a Master’s Degree in Emergency Management and a Bachelor’s degree in Organizational Management.

NAMUCA Treasurer

Taya Workum, Deputy                                                                                                                                Lake County Sheriff’s Office, OH                                                                                                    Mounted Unit                                                                                                                         [email protected]

Taya is currently assigned as a Deputy in the Court Services Division of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office in northeast Ohio.  She began her police service in 2002 and has experience in patrol, courts, public education, and special operations.  She is the evidence custodian of the agency, and is also responsible for grant writing. Taya started the mounted unit at the LCSO and is the unit trainer.  She is a certified mounted police instructor and teaches multiple topics for the Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy. Taya has been with NAMUCA since its inception and was nominated to the Board of Directors when it was established in 2013.

NAMUCA Membership Director

Andrew Stephens, Master Deputy                                                                                                                Orange County Sheriff’s Office, FL                                                                                                        Mounted Unit                                                                                                      [email protected]

Andrew is currently a Master Deputy assigned to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office Mounted Unit, which is a part of the Specialized Patrol Division. Andrew has been employed by the Orange County Sheriff’s Office since 2010 and has been a member of the Mounted Unit since 2015. Andrew was certified as a Mounted Instructor by the Toronto Police Service in 2023 and is currently one of the two lead training deputies for the unit. Andrew has assisted and ran multiple schools during his time with the mounted unit to include a basic and advance mounted rider school.

NAMUCA Region 1 Director

Carrie Neidigh, Sergeant                                                                                                                          Pennsylvania State Police                                                                                                                    Tactical Mounted Unit                                                                                                                   [email protected]

Carrie is currently a Sergeant in the Pennsylvania State Police.  She is the Tactical Mounted Section Supervisor, which is a part of the Special Services Division within the Bureau of Emergency and Special Operations.  Carrie has been employed by the Pennsylvania State Police since 2002 and has been with the Mounted Section since 2010 and the Supervisor since 2016.  The Section currently has 25 horses and 6 full-time Members and 24 Field Riders.  Since taking over as Supervisor, she has helped New Jersey State Police and Pittsburgh Police Department with reinstating their Mounted Sections.  She has also worked closely with the Pennsylvania State Police’s Bureau of Training and Education with implementing both a single day Civil Disorder Course and a multiple day Mobile Field Course for Mounted Section Members and Ground Personnel.

 

NAMUCA Region 2 Director

Larry Slimick, Sergeant                                                                                                                        Orange County Sheriff’s Office, FL                                                                                                          Mounted Unit                                                                                                                          [email protected]

Sergeant Slimick began his career in 1984 and served in many different special assignments within the Orange County Sheriff’s Office. Larry is currently assigned to the full-time Mounted Patrol Unit. He is a 2004 Graduate of the University of Louisville, The Southern Police Institute Mounted Law Enforcement Instructor Course. Sergeant Slimick has been the Orange County Sheriff’s Office Mounted Patrol’s Unit Instructor since 2004 along with being an active member with the North American Mounted Unit Commanders Association since 2015.

Sergeant Slimick is currently the Sergeant in charge of the Orange County Sheriff’s Office Mounted Unit and has been a member of the unit for 22 years.  The unit has 11 donated horses and 5 full time sworn deputies and 2 full time civilian stable assistants. The unit currently has 10 additional cross trained deputies that assist the full-time mounted patrol unit with directed patrol and special events. The stables are located on the east side of Orlando, a facility built in 2020 for the Orange County Sheriff’s Office Mounted Patrol Unit. The unit has developed a 40 Hour Basic Mounted Patrol Course and a 30 Hour Advanced Mounted Patrol Tactics Course.

 

NAMUCA Region 3 Director

Esteban Arreguin, Police Officer                                                                                                    Milwaukee Police Department, WI                                                                                                        Mounted Unit

[email protected]

Esteban is currently a Police Officer assigned to the Milwaukee Police Department’s Mounted Unit, which is a part of the Specialized Patrol Division. Esteban has been employed by the Milwaukee Police Department since 2005 and has been a member of the Mounted Unit since 2017. Esteban was certified as a Mounted Instructor by the Toronto Police Service in 2023 and is currently the lead training officer for the unit. Since taking over the lead instructor position, Esteban has created curriculum and re-structured the unit’s 6 week basic mounted course. The unit consists of eight full time riders, one supervisor, and a herd of nine horses. The unit is housed at the MKE Urban Stables in Milwaukee, WI. This facility was raised in 2020 and is shared with a non-profit organization that offers Equine-Assisted Learning and Therapy Programs. This partnership, all under one roof, is the first of its kind in the nation and has cultivated great success for both the Mounted Unit and MKE Urban Stables. Esteban planned and coordinated three separate joint training sessions with riders and horses from multiple jurisdictions in preparation for the Republican National Convention, which was held in Milwaukee, WI in 2024. The RNC mounted deployment consisted of 24 horses and 28 riders, all of which were housed and operated out of the MKE Urban Stables. Esteban has been a member of NAMUCA since 2022

 

NAMUCA Region 4 Director

Rich Anselmi, Lieutenant                                                                                                                  Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office, CO                                                                                            Mounted Unit                                                                                                                [email protected]

LT Rich Anselmi is a graduate of the United Stated Military at West Point.  After serving in the Army, he came to work for the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office in Colorado where he has worked since 2000.  His numerous duties at the Sheriff’s Office have included SWAT, Bomb Squad Commander, SRO, Lead Active Shooter Response Instructor, and Mounted Unit Commander for the last 3 years.  These special assignments have taught him the importance of realistic, mission-oriented training at the individual, team, multi-team and regional level.  His passion for the mounted unit stems from seeing the impact mounted units have on the community, an impact that he has not seen in over twenty years of law enforcement.  As a NAMUCA board member, Rich would like to support mounted units working and training together with more realistic and collaborative training between teams.

 

NAMUCA Region 5 Director

Eric Anderson, Sergeant                                                                                                                    Anaheim Police Department, CA                                                                                                          Mounted Enforcement Unit
[email protected]

Sergeant Eric Anderson is a 16-year veteran of the Anaheim Police Department’s Mounted Enforcement Unit. Eric holds a POST instructor certificate in Mounted Patrol, Mobile Field Force, and Crowd Control. Eric is a former Board Director and President of the California Mounted Officers Association, teaching several Mounted Police Schools across California.

In 2019, Eric founded the Western States Mounted Officers Association (WSMOA), where he serves as its President. Eric’s role is to help implement, promote, and further develop mounted units across the western United States. Along with a great team of instructors, Eric travels across several states to ensure mounted units have the best tools, training, and resources to succeed.

Eric has been awarded the California Mounted Officer’s Association Officer of the Year Award and the Professional Bull Riders Be Cowboy Award. He was also selected as a mentor for legendary equestrian and trainer Chris Cox’s Lead Changes youth program. Eric enjoys anything related to horses and rodeos, fishing, hunting, boating, and spending time with his two daughters and his wife.

 

NAMUCA Region 6 Director

 

Namuca Region 7 Director

Michael C. Gates, Captain                                                                                                                   United States Army                                                                                   [email protected]

Michael Gates is an active-duty Captain in the U.S. Army. Captain Gates commanded 2 of the Army’s 6 remaining mounted units and co-founded the Combat Horsemanship Cavalry Association, an organization dedicated to aiding the military’s horse units. He commanded the Horse Detachment for the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment at Fort Irwin, California followed by command of the Horse Cavalry Detachment of the 1st Cavalry Division at Fort Cavazos, Texas. He is the first commander of multiple Army horse-mounted cavalry units since the 1940’s.

Captain Gates has ridden in major events such as the Tournament of Roses Parade (Pasadena, California) and the Lord Mayor’s Parade (London, England). In 2023, Captain Gates hosted a summit for military equestrian unit leaders to share strategies, best practices, and align on future direction of the units. In 2024 he created the Mounted Military Invitational, an equestrian competition designed to promote cavalry skills for the military, law enforcement, and civilian enthusiasts.

Captain Gates graduated with a Bachelors Degree in Civil Engineering from the Virginia Military Institute and was commissioned as an Engineer Officer in 2017. He served as a Platoon Leader and Company-Grade Executive Officer in an engineering company prior to command of the equestrian units.