We're away for the weekend.  Early Sunday morning we get a call from the  volunteer 15yo sitter's Mom, "The horses are gone!"

"Please walk the fence line and see how they got out."

"We did and asked the neighbors."

"OK, we're coming back after we make a few phone calls."

Called the County Sheriff, ... office closed till Monday (budget cuts y'know)

Called the City lost pet line, "Hello, did you loose a dog or a cat?" "I'm afraid they are a lot bigger.  We seem to have lost a chestnut gelding and a gray mare." "A chestnut what?" "A red male horse that's been cut."

Well, you know where this hilarious conversation is going.  Bottom line, we're out of city boundaries but they will check a backdoor phone number they have for the Sheriff's office.

Texted our vet friend who heads the SPCA.  She would have been the first to be called by the authorities.  She hadn't heard anything yet and adviced we check the auction houses.  We reminded her that the closest auction house don't do horses anymore.  Texted back, "Eugene is very active."

That's only 45 minutes south, checked the website and they just started their horse auction a minute past.  Called an got the auctioneer already on the block.  His only quick advice, "Come on over and see. File a police report."

Off with the Sunday clothes, canceled dinner appointment, thoughts on our search and rescue plan. Where is our neighbor with a helicopter when you need him?  Should we go to the auction first?  No, why would anyone bother to rustle horses and trailer them 220 miles to Eugene when there are sheep and goats for the grabbing?  And how would they get the chestnut in a trailer without getting noticed or hurt themselves?

Next probability, they're at the large forest park above three or four fence lines?  No, there are other horses and barns in between.  They would head for them first.  They know each other.

Next probability, they wouldn't really go anywhere.  We leave them ground tied in the yard all the time!  The hay is exposed in the bin and the barn doors to the the grain buckets are open.

Most likely scenario.  They played hide and seek with the poor distraught young lady who seem to have forgotten that "God made horses to live outdoors."

Called the sitter back, explained our conclusions and told her to go back and shake some grain in the tin bucket.  Happy trails!  Horses come running from who knows where.  The muddy beasts get groomed for hours!  They'll be sparkling clean when we get home.  NOT!!!

OMG that is my worst fear when ever i go on trips....

 Oh that's too funny. The poor sitter was probably hysterical that the horses went missing on her watch.  I'm glad that nothing bad happened to them.

Glad everything ended up okay! I bet it was pretty scary- I know my sister and I would be crazy with worry if that ever happened!

:)

Giant Cheeseball:

I bet it was pretty scary- I

It was.  Fortunately, my Sweetheart and I have worked out a lot of issues while hugging.  I propose the path of reason and logic, she brings emotion and passion.  While in our embrace, the horrors, terrors, reality and humor of most situations can balance out.  This was one situation where logic and reason did not stand much of a chance ... I had to use a light bear hug.

It was also a good thing that the barn was north while the auction was south of our location.  It gave us reason to pause and consider our options and direction to take... and that I was going to be doing the driving.

The most likely scenario, given that the horses have never wandered off the property, was that they were rustled.  That was my initial thought as well.  But then after posting inquiries of the police and SPCA (that took about 30 minutes) and factoring how much easier it would be to rustle the goats (in this market, they are worth more than our horses) we began to doubt they were stolen. By process of elimination and knowing how they had played hide and seek with us before, we bolstered our faith and our hopes that those characters pulled one over our poor sitter.

Which they surely did!!  We've taught the sitter how to search the 10 acres (actually it's only two acres of 30 foot pines) and to raise her sweet voice a bit when calling out. We'll all be the wiser next time.