Robin Burgess wrote:
A note in a zip-loc bag that reads "If you find this horse without a rider....."
It goes on to state my name, address, phone number, and other information
about what to do with "this loose horse." NEVER think it can't happen to
you! (I am going to order dog collar tags to put on my halter, bridle and
saddle.)
I would second this idea loudly and strongly. Nick and I (and a lot
of ride volunteers) once spent all day looking for Warpaint in the
desert around Ridgecrest after I got dumped at the beginning of the 20
Mule Team 100. This included Nick going up in a small plane with a
somewhat novice pilot to scan the desert for the horse.
As it turned out, Warpaint had doubled back to the Bumgardner's
neighborhood and had spent most of the day in someone's yard. The
neighbors who had him left a message at the Bumgardner's, figuring
that a stray horse all tacked up in endurance gear (heart monitor
included) probably had something to do with them. Since everyone was
out riding, we didn't get the message until later in the day.
The last time I took him to Death Valley I had a note in a ziploc bag
that stated where we would be each day, the Bumgardner's phone number
and my phone number. The idea of losing him in Death Valley was
especially frightening because the Bumgardners had lost a horse out
there and it had been found dead a year or so after it was lost.
Identification on you and your horse is a good idea along with the
rest of the suggestions I've seen on this thread.
Judy Long
Hayward, California