[RC] More details..... Devastating end to most successful ride in 22 years - Linda Parrish
Thank you ALL for all the kind words
following my hasty letter this morning. I've forwarded them to
Becky.
I apologize for not putting the whole
story out in the first place. This has consumed our lives for the past
however-many-days and it just seems like everyone else should know all about it,
too.
For those of you who have
asked:
October 25th was the 22nd annual
Armadillo endurance ride. Becky Young
was entered in the 25-mile ride on Zoom Zoom. At about mile 14 into the first
loop, which was only 15.4 miles long, Zoom Zoom managed to unseat Becky and
proceeded to run away. The area he chose to run into is thick with muscatine
vines, green briars, cat claws, short thorn, yaupons, etc.
Becky and several riders looked for him,
then came on into camp. The rest of the 25-milers plus all of the 50- and
100-milers would traverse this same trail during the course of their ride. No
one saw this loose horse.
During the next 18 days there were
several people who went out on horseback, foot, 4-wheelers, and vehicles. A few
people heard horse noises, but we could never find the horse. Becky and friends
even brought dogs out for a search through the area. Nothing was found.
I think Becky made contact with everyone
in the immediate area of Kennard and all the sheriff departments of the
surrounding counties. >g< We couldn't go anywhere without someone
stopping to ask if we had ever found that poor woman's horse.
>g<
She left her trailer at the back of the
field in hopes he would come to it. The search continued and rumors abounded,
but none of them turned up anything. Lots of people were out there looking, but
it is a huge area (over 160,000 acres of dense woods).
Some background on Zoom Zoom from what
Becky has told us:
He was abused at some previous point
and his solace in life was to build a 'fort' and hide in it until she or
her dog came to get him. She said he didn't graze like other horses - he would
wait for her to feed him. I will admit that though I believed this 'fort'
business because Becky was telling it, I had a hard time with the idea
- but....
The call came from the hunters. When
Bo and I got to the body, there was his 'fort'. An area of about 12'x16' cleaned
out in the thickest part of the undergrowth. Zoom Zoom apparently felt safe
here. There is evidence of him standing in a couple of spots more than others.
There is no evidence of him grazing on any of the edibles in his spot. As for
the cause of death, he got tangled in some of the vines and just did not
have the strength to pull free. There are a few marks where he tried to get up
and then it looks like he just gave up. It looked very peaceful. There were
no marks of any kind on his body.
We do think he was moving in and out of
this space. We know we both checked so
close to this spot that we should have seen him had he been there at the time.
In fact, we could see where Bo had ridden the 4-wheeler through about 3 feet
from Zoomey's 'fort'. We know Becky was in that area with her dog and a bucket
of feed two different times. It is very frustrating to know that so
many were so close..... and yet so very far from bringing him home
safe.
Becky said earlier today that she no
longer has to worry about anyone abusing him any more.
Hug your horse for Becky......today is
her birthday.
