Funny lost horse story- 1986

["Laura Hayes" <mark@madbbs.com>]

The recent lost horse story got me thinking, and I didn't want to write this story until the current horse was safe and sound.  I am glad she is ok.

 

In 1986 I traveled to Wyoming from my home in NY via Rushcreek in Nebraska.  I did a few rides on the way and then picked up my good friend Brian Weaver who was working at Rushcreek for the summer breaking colts.  Brian had been the National Junior champion in 1982 and had won the ROC and OD twice - he had Wayne McMinn's RC Kapper with him.

 

We went to a 50 miler on the South Dakota/Wyoming border (TeePee Charity, I think) and had a great ride.  Kapper and Brian were first and I was second with Oz.  The camp cleared out that evening and we were the only ones left.  When morning broke, Kapper was gone and Oz was still tied to the trailer.  We were in a 60,000 acre federal grazing lot, and Kapper never cared for people anyway!! 

 

We had to call Wayne in PA and tell him.  I overheard Brian telling him that he had good new and bad news - he had won the ride, but the horse had disappeared.  In light of the fact that Brian had once lost Rushcreek Janet when she threw him in training, and she showed up three days later without her saddle, Wayne listen patiently and asked, "But do you have my saddle?"  You have to know Wayne!

 

We spent the next two days walking and riding Oz to every water trough and meadow we could reach - no Kapper.  We did find what we thought were tracks going out the only open gate we saw, but no luck.  Brian had to get back to Rushcreek and I had to be in Minn. the next Saturday.  We left word in every place we could think of with phone numbers and such, and left.  It was a little bit of a quiet ride back to Nebraska.

 

About a week later Brian got a call that Kapper had been found at a fire tower almost 20 miles away.  He was missing both front shoes, but appeared ok, and eagerly loaded into the ride manager's trailer (he never did anything eagerly...).Brian and Lucille Tyler picked him up and he went on to have a successfull carreer.  He never told us where he went that week

 

This was my story, and I will tell it ever how I want to, as Wayne would say!!

 

Laura Hayes AERC#2741