September Happy Tails Rescue

An incredible assist from a band stallion

Last month we shared how a colt got himself out of a problem before the rescue team could get hands-on to help him. This month we want to share a remarkable story from a rescue team member on how one horse helped “rescue” another.

“We had been given a report that a well-known mare was missing from her band. They stay in a local area and she is known due to what appears to be an old injury that resulted in a hind leg that flares up and gives her trouble on occasion.

I went out searching the normal spots for her but couldn’t see her anywhere, even though I spotted her band right away. I decided to go back and take one last walk further north in case I hadn’t gone far enough.

Across the way, a stallion was chasing another horse and their antics caught my eye and made me chuckle as I watched them jump over the creek bed, one much more graceful than the other, but both clearing it easily. Finally, he ran the other horse off and started trotting north, the direction I was headed.

As I walked, he would slow and look back at me. My first thought was that I didn’t want him to think I was chasing him so I altered my path slightly. I knew the fencing ended a bit further up and didn’t want him to feel trapped.

But at the same time, there was something telling me he was leading me. I told myself I was being ridiculous, that it sounded like an episode of Flipper or Lassie when the animal leads the humans to the rescue. But still...

He stopped to add to a stud pile and I came up even with him. He stood and looked at me as I passed and then trotted even with me. I swear that stallion was telling me to hurry up.

When he neared the end of the fencing he stopped and turned and looked at me, as if to say, “Well?!”

Momentarily I thought it was a dead end. And then I saw her. She had laid down in a depression and it was clear she had been unsuccessful in getting back up due to her position and her hind leg. I called the Range Manager who was just arriving to help and ran back to my truck for a strap to assist her.

When we got back to the mare, two more stallions had arrived and were trying to figure out what was going on and if this was the day they would get a mare of their own. We pushed them off while the first stallion stood watch in the corner.

We got the strap in place but before we were ready she attempted to get up again. While she failed that time, she managed to reposition herself so that she was able to get up on her own on the next try.

Her family band, who had also followed the commotion, came running in and surrounded her and escorted her back the way they had come. The two bachelors puffed up their chests and made a show, but they knew there was no way they were getting this mare. Not this day.

And the stallion who had led the way stood and watched it all. As they all left, he visibly relaxed and went back to his day.”

The “rescue stallion”