A Ginuwine star: Runaway Tuscaloosa pony makes his acting debut in new commercial

A runaway pony captured by Tuscaloosa police in March is now the star of a new commercial for the city of Tuscaloosa.

The locally famous pony named Ginuwine by Tuscaloosa police made his acting debut this month by starring in the latest campaign for Tuscaloosa 311, which is the city's non-emergency telephone line.

More: 'It's meant to be': Pony found in Tuscaloosa now serves as a therapy horse

"It’s been a few months since our last update on Ginuwine, (the) pony escape artist and the Therapeutic Riding of Tuscaloosa’s latest mascot. I am excited to share that Ginuwine has made it big in our latest 311 campaign," said Mayor Walt Maddox in his "Mayor's Minute" video.

The commercial can be viewed on the city's website.

Ginuwine first stole the hearts of many Tuscaloosa County residents when he was captured this spring after Tuscaloosa police said he caused a stir in an Alberta neighborhood.

Tuscaloosa police say they received a call around 10 p.m. March 20 about a small pony wandering around near 30th Avenue East and First Street East in Alberta.

"He was extremely unwilling to go with the officers at first and not at all interested in the pizza crusts or peppermints they offered," the department said in a Facebook post.

The four-legged "suspect" led officers in a nearly two-hour, low-speed foot pursuit. Officers followed the pony up and down driveways and through residents' backyards. After the pony was eventually captured, he was taken to Therapeutic Riding Of Tuscaloosa, a nonprofit organization that offers horse riding as a method of therapy. TROT helps a variety of patients, including children with autism or attention-deficit disorder, veterans who have post-traumatic stress disorder and adults who are recovering from strokes.

TROT temporarily fostered the pony until the owners were found.

The pony was later identified as 4-year-old miniature horse whose original owners named him Knight. Tuscaloosa police say the original owners decided that Ginuwine/Knight would remain permanently at TROT's farm in Cottondale .

TROT has cared for the pony since its capture in March and developed Ginuwine as the nonprofit organization's official mascot, along with his duties as a therapy horse for children and adults with disabilities.

Life on the farm has been going well for Ginuwine who has gained much popularity over the last few months, said Melanie Williams, who serves as TROT's program director and primary instructor.

"He's been handled, groomed and loved on by many people over the summer," Williams said.

She said Ginuwine has been a great addition to the farm and has helped raise awareness about the nonprofit and its programs.

"Lots of people that saw him on the news have never heard of us," Williams said.

TROT first opened its doors in 1998 with a mission to serve people with cognitive and physical challenges and their families. The farm also provides services for veterans and aspiring horseback riders.

The community is invited to meet Ginuwine/Knight at the TROT-o-Ween event 2-4 p.m. on Oct. 28 at TROT's Cottondale farm, 3200 Clements Road.

More information can be found at TROT's website, https://trotusa.org.

Reach Jasmine Hollie at JHollie@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: New commercial features Ginuwine, Tuscaloosa's runaway pony