PIKE CREEK, Del. – New Castle County Executive Tom Gordon, County Council, and New Castle County Police Colonel E.M. Setting named 11-year-old Yoselin Rojas Mendez as the winner of the county’s Horse Naming Contest during the Country Spring Festival held at Carousel Park & Equestrian Center Saturday.
Yoselin, a student at New Castle Elementary School, won with her selection of Spartan to rename the NCCPD Mounted Patrol horse formerly known as Tyson, a dark bay Clydesdale that stands 17 hands tall.
Spartan came to the county on December 10, 2014 from Listowel in Ontario, Canada.
“The horses come here, believe it or not, with their names already in place,” Colonel Setting said. “But one of the names of the horses was nearly identical to one of the horses we already had (Titan). So, to avoid confusion, we asked the local schools to have a contest to see who could rename the horse.”
Yoselin said a few things led her to the name Spartan.
“I picked the name Spartan because it really fits his personality, which is friendly and quiet,” she said. “That’s what it means to be a Spartan. It also means being responsible about your work.”
County Executive Gordon and New Castle County Council - represented on Saturday by Councilman Tim Sheldon and Councilwoman Janet Kilpatrick at Carousel - presented Yoselin with a plaque. She also took photos with the elected officials, Colonel Setting, and members of the Mounted Patrol.
Yoselin attended the Country Spring Festival at Carousel Park with her father, grandparents, three sisters, and an uncle. They enjoyed a visit with Peter Cottontail, all of the Clydesdale horses that comprise the Mounted Patrol, the Kids Corral and the barn animals, and hayrides.
The event, which began at noon, drew thousands of people and still had cars lined up on Limestone Road to get into Carousel, home of the Mounted Patrol, at 1:45 Saturday afternoon.
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