It was a big day for Cowboy the horse when he retired from being the LAPD’s mounted platoon after 18 years.

Cowboy, a 21-year-old horse who joined the force back when he was 3, was a very special horse often chosen to work with the new recruits.

“You need good horses, which you call a school horse, to be able to tolerate a person who doesn’t know really what they are doing,” LAPD Officer Joe Willey, the head trainer for the department, told CBS Los Angeles.

This beloved horse will continue to put his talent to good use for another important job. Cowboy will work with children and young adults who suffer from disabilities at California’s Move a Child Higher, Inc.

A horse’s ability to help people has been proven time and time again. For example, there’s theremarkable story of the boy who came out of his shell after spending time with a horse at Bright Hope Riders in Indiana. And it’s hard to forget about the horses who help the horses who help veterans overcome their post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) at Boulder Crest Retreat in Virginia.

Cowboy will provide the same relief to those at Move a Child Higher.

“They bring a lot of courage to our kids, especially knowing where they’ve come from and what they’ve done,” said founder Joy Rittenhouse.

Watch below and please SHARE if this one-of-a-kind horse stole your heart!

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