Wild Horse

Thursday, June 27, 2024

Early yesterday, I was walking to the barn and saw a horse nearby free and grazing. Because of her color, I thought at first she was one of mine. I didn’t see familiar markings and realized she was a stray. As I approached, she trotted away; I moved toward her, and she moved on.

I hurried to grab a halter and lead rope, found a carrot, and went onto the quiet street that fronts my property. I saw her again; this time, she moved away more quickly and disappeared among the junipers. I phoned as many neighbors as possible for someone available to help hunt for her. Johnny down at the corner said her owner was searching the neighborhood, and they’d be right over. John across the street said he’d hurry out and help.

As I learned, that mare was a five-year-old formerly wild horse, adopted two weeks previously and not yet halter-broke. We became a group and actively tracked her; her trainer on horseback, her caretaker driving a powerful all-terrain vehicle, John and I riding in a golf cart, and Johnny on foot. After an hour or so, I had to give up.

I needed to attend to a worrisome break in my horse fencing. Its cause was Sunni’s frequent episodes of butt-scratching with her entire weight pressuring the fence fabric. I was hammering away when a strange vehicle came onto my property, its driver saying my horse was loose. Knowing that was incorrect, I looked to where she pointed. That mare had returned, drawn to be near my horses.

Just then a searcher showed up, and the mare, sensitized now to being sought, galloped off, and fortunately, away from the busy street, toward areas of trees and brush. I didn’t rejoin the trackers for having to keep repairing my fence.

Before having to leave for work, the last I saw of the chase was a searching group, still confounded. After work, I called the mare’s caretaker, who said they had contacted Kate Beardsley, our local expert on everything horse, including lost horse tracking. Around 7 p.m., Kate’s team rounded up the mare as she trotted eastward along the highway. By 8 p.m., the mare was captured, corralled, and home safely.

Today’s header photo makes it obvious that the young mare is drop-dead gorgeous. She’s worth all the attention, is smart, and is a fabulous prospect for the right person.

Dear Friends: I did manage to resecure my fence against Sunni’s scratching. Diana