Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

Years ago, a drag rider on our Castle Rock ride became separated from her 
horse, and the horse ran across a large field and disappeared into the 
forest.  We knew about where it was, but no sign of the horse.  I and a 
friend rode on a trail very near to where the horse was later found.  We 
separated our two horses just long enough for my horse to become upset and 
start whinnying loudly.  No answer from the lost horse.  We had just about 
given up.  Our neighbor, who lived about 1/2 mile away from where the horse 
disappeared, did not give up, even though he had already searched the area 
once.  The second time he went out hiking, he found a bridle hanging from a 
tree, and kept on searching.  He finally found the horse down in the bottom 
of a deep gulch and unable to get out by himself.  The horse had run 
straight into the forest, either run or tumbled down a VERY steep forested 
hillside and down into the deep gulch that had vertical sides.  He was 
trapped there for 8-9 days, as I remember.  He had no food and no water, but 
it did rain during that time.  He was little worse for wear upon being 
found, except for having a raging thirst.  Two of our neighbors and our 
son-in-law dug a little trail out of the deep gulch and led the horse up out 
of it (it was probably about 12-15 feet deep, at least).  The horse wanted 
to drain the nearby creek when he got out, but I let him drink only a few 
swallows at a time, led him a few feet, back to the creek for a little more 
water....this went on until he finally had enough water.  I worried that if 
I let him tank up on all the water he wanted all at once, he might have had 
some sort of troubles....colic, or whatever.  Anyway, he survived.  And he 
still had his saddle on, too.

Barbara

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Diane Trefethen" <tref@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <Ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Sunday, July 17, 2005 7:06 AM
Subject: Re: [RC] FW: Tevis Lost Horse


> >   Later, an old cowboy wrote in and said when you lose a horse like this 
> > take out another horse and tie him to a tree where your horse disappeared 
> > and go off a distance.  The tied horse will whinny for companionship and 
> > very possibly call in the lost horse.  The lost horse may hear him as 
> > much as a mile away.  If we had done this we would have had him recovered 
> > in just a day since he was found just a half a mile from where he was 
> > last seen.
>
> Excellent thought!  It is sad but true that a lost horse, especially one 
> trapped by a slipped saddle or reins/leadrope, will usually NOT whinny 
> when he hears people or riders nearby and he might not whinny even if he 
> can see them.
>
>
>
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Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp

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