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SALT LAKE CITY— The Weber County Sheriff’s Mounted Posse has been serving the people of Weber County for more than 70 years on horseback.
In the 1900s, they helped people in distress, but in 2016, their role is slightly different. For example, this year, the posse can be found herding cars arriving for the county fair.
“You come into the fair and you see a cowboy on a horse,” said Robert Armstrong, Captain of the posse. “All the kids got big smiles on their faces and it starts their fair out right.”
In the 1980s, the posse would perform presidential escorts with President Ronald Reagan, Armstrong said.
The posse still does its part to help the community, even though they no longer protect the public with rescue efforts.
“Our interactions with the public are almost always a positive one,” Armstrong said.
Since then, the posse’s responsibilities and duties have been replaced high-tech jobs.
“With land development and the price of everything going up, having a horse is becoming more and more of an expensive hobby,” Armstrong said.
Armstrong said he wishes he could see the future of the posse, but that there is only one way to keep it alive: community involvement.
“We need to get more folks involved with the posse,” said Mark Wayment, a member of the Buckskin Line of the posse. “Just the involvement with the community — helping out, volunteering our time.”