A TRUSTY police horse was saddled up for his final tour of duty this week.

Endeavour, the longest-serving horse with the Cleveland police mounted section, is being shipped out to pastures new.

The 20-year-old steed bowed out on Wednesday after 15 years of faithful service, and youngsters were there to bid a fond farewell.

Endeavour will be much missed by his rider Ian Lumley, who said: "He is one of the most experienced and mild-mannered horses on the unit.

"He was just as comfortable at maintaining crowd control as meeting youngsters on school visits."

Insp Ross Sibley, head of the mounted section, said: "The horses are an integral part of pro-active policing. They provide high visibility patrols and are a huge deterrent to the would-be criminal.

"They can also cover an area ten times greater than could be covered on foot."

Insp Sibley hoped the unit would soon be back up to its full strength of nine horses. "We will shortly be testing out a horse to see if he is up to the job," he said, adding that the candidate was a 17-hands black Irish draft.

Another two members of staff are now trained on the mounted section.

Sgt Barry Smith, currently one of three sergeants on the dog section, has also taken over supervision for the mounted unit after a 16-week course in Northumbria.

PC Chris Bancroft has completed his initial 16-week course but it will be 18 months before all their training is complete.

Among those who bade farewell to Endeavour this week were six children from Saltburn primary school.

PC Stuart Smith from Saltburn ran a crime prevention poster campaign in the school and got more than 100 applications from the youngsters.

The winning entrants from each year were invited to the stables to meet all the horses and say a fond farewell to Endeavour.

Now, Endeavour will spend his days on a farm in South Wales, organised through the International League for the Protection of Horses