A stallion in need of a little help!

At almost 10:00 pm on a Thursday night the Wild Horse Connection Range Management (WHC) got a call from the sheriff’s department that a lone horse was on the Old 395 highway and trying to go south. Corenna Vance of WHC immediately called LRTC rescue team responders from the area and they headed out.

On the way, the deputies called back to the hotline to report the horse was off the highway and the road it had gone up. Unfortunately, that road was on the wrong side of the highway (west) from the range and there were cattle guards and fencing preventing it from going back (east). The responders searched and searched but could not find the horse, and had to go home and hope he stayed safe.

Early the next morning another hotline call came in, Comstock Equine Veterinary Hospital had a lone wild horse on their property. This had to be the same horse! He was several miles south, but still on the west side of the highway. The range management team again dispatched LRTC rescue responders who called their team to get ready to roll out.

The rescue team found him standing on some high ground on the property looking across the highway as if he was trying to figure out how the heck to get home. Comstock was amazing, closing their gates and moving one of their patients so the responders could use their pens to trap and hold the horse until the transport trailer and additional team members arrived.

Once he was safely loaded, he was returned to the correct side of the range safely back away from the highway. He exited the trailer and realized a friend was nearby, called out, and trotted off. A volunteer had eyes on him on and off through the day and he was reportedly napping off his ordeal!

It was discovered that an area frequented by dirt bikes and others had cut fence wire. More Wild Horse Connection volunteers have since put in a repair.

If you are in the Virginia Range area, make sure you have the Wild Horse Hotline number programmed into your phone. You never know where you might see a horse and need to call for help!. 775-352-3944