The Breakout

 I thought my horse shared a deeper bond with me than he does.  It’s a disappointment.

There we were camped on the edge of the wildnerness.. Staged and ready for  adventures into it.  Fall!  My favorite time of year.  Everyone had their own rig, we had food, drink and heaters!   This was to be one of our last camp trips before winter, yeeehaw!  And two beautiful rides we had before the Great Electric Fence Failure. 

Ever use an electric fence when you’re horse camping?  Don’t.  I’m pretty sure one of those couldn’t keep in a three-legged pony.   Between you and me, I totally blame the breakout on my friend’s horse.  My two would never consider doing a thing like that.  Right. Regardless. Much fun and frivolity was going on that night. We ate inside one of the bigger rigs for the first time that trip due to the wind.  And we toasted our good fortune and good rides and felt blessed to be doing what we love with dear friends. And we heard nothing. 

We started tracking at about 9:30 that night with headlights and flashlights.  Boy it was cold at 6500 feet in October.  Those damned horses were everywhere it looked like.  At a cattleguard they came to a screeching halt and called a meeting, which way to go?  They headed back, no they doubled back, no they went off into the sage. There they were on a side road, nope wrong again.  At about 1am we called it quits and waited for daylight.

It’s hard to lay down and think of sleeping though with  those black, black thoughts running around.  If this turns out badly, I’m DONE.  I’ve been tested too many times.    Where were those stupid guardian angels of mine anyway.  Off duty again?  What was life going to be like without horses when I was forced to call it quits?  It looked like an empty hole.  Linda Parelli’s horses would have come skittering back to her, jumped in her lap and probably kissed her.  My stinkin’ horse knows his name, he comes running across the field at home for a treat, why not now?   He lives for food, why not at least come back for the food?  One of them is badly injured, they’re all sticking together.  One of them may be dead, tangled in barbed wire with a broken leg. 

Morning and not much talking, just taking care of business and getting going.  Lot’s of driving, lot’s of hiking, lot’s of speculating.  No horses.  The most gentle amongst us  quietly and apologetically asked “do you have your gun, uh umm, just in case?”

A tiny patch in the sagebrush, point your cellphone just right at 5 degrees past Venus, a little left of Mars and voila, cell service! Calls were placed to the local authorities.  No local resources were available, best of luck to you. The guy at the Forest Service office said “so are you saying the horses were stolen?”  In hindsight why didn’t I say yes!  He said “have a nice day!” before he hung up.   I sort of lost it at that point.  Calls were placed to friends at home.  People were getting into place to help us on horseback tomorrow. 

Later in the afternoon, one more drive to the cattleguard area; one of us had a feeling.  There’s the stupid brown cow that looks like a horse from 500 feet.  No stupid, that’s the stupid brown cow.  Yes I’m sure.  I’m strung pretty tight and nothing or nobody is moving or thinking fast enough for me.  Hate it when I get this way.  All of a sudden I’m screaming, yelling and crying and my friend is freaking out.  Then she sees ‘em too, about 300 feet off in the sagebrush.   I slam the truck into park, jump out and start making my way thru the waist high sagebrush as fast as I can go. For some reason I’ve got one junior sized lead rope and a bunch of baling twine in my hand.  Damned if those stupid horses didn’t just stand there and stare at me.  Didn’t even offer to step a foot in my direction. Not like Linda Parelli’s horses.   It took forever to get there, I was sweating and panting and crying a little. Then the long walk back to camp with my friend driving the truck. 

The little mare left quite a lot of hide somewhere in her travels, the geldings seemed fine.  They were thirsty and hungry but no worse for the wear.  None of ‘em were talking.  We’ll never know their story. 

Guess I passed another test.  I don’t have to keep that promise to myself. Until the next test comes along.  Guess this means life won’t look like that empty hole.  Thank you guardian angels, thank you horse gods.  My horse doesn’t have that fairy tale bond with me that every girl wants it seems.  That’s okay.  I’ll take what he gives when he wants to give it.  And go back to using a highline.