# Horses missing. :(



## Harmony_Meadows (Nov 4, 2007)

I need some good thoughts and prayers for two of my horses that are missing. I saw them last night a 6pm when I went out to do some errands. I checked again at 10pm when I fed my minis and found only my Standardbred there. He was pacing, calling out and stressed. I discovered that Bell Canada, the phone provider, had left a gate open when workers were checking on the cell phone tower on our property. I spent 2 1/2 hours searching in the dark to no avail. Police have been notified and I have been networking. Just waiting until dawn to start again. 
My heart is breaking. We just put two old mares down, I can't bear to lose two more.  We back onto a major highway and although there is no direct access for them it is not out of the realm of possibility that they could get onto it. There are also train tracks nearby and the St Lawrence Seaway is less than a mile. An old gravel quarry on our other side. So many places for wayward horses to get into trouble. :sob:
I want so much to keep looking but I know stumbling around in the dark is not going to help and could hurt by obscuring clues to their direction. Our poor Standardbred is pacing the fenceline (he is secured in a smaller paddock) wondering where his friends are. Just very strange that he is still here but they are gone. If I didn't know what a hard loader Willow is I would almost wonder if they had been stolen. 
Please think of us and pray for their safe return. 

Thanks


----------



## 7thswan (Nov 18, 2008)

Thoughts and prayers from here.


----------



## Irish Pixie (May 14, 2002)

I hope they are standing in front of the barn when the sun comes up. 

Let us know, please.


----------



## Harmony_Meadows (Nov 4, 2007)

Dawn here and still no signs. Got searchers coming and they are a facebook sensation. It is nasty weather here, wet, cold, and may turn worse yet. But we have a lot of eyes looking so lets hope we find them!


----------



## MDKatie (Dec 13, 2010)

Good luck to you! I hope you find them safe and sound!


----------



## cathleenc (Aug 16, 2007)

Come home horses! Come home now!

Fingers crossed and lots of positive thoughts coming your way.


----------



## wr (Aug 10, 2003)

For starters, Bell owes you compensation for stress and the search. If you had wind yesterday, follow the direction of the wind because they should have drifted with it, trying to find a place to get out of it. Try concentrating your search to stands of trees and please check abandoned buildings. I spent days searching for a heifer that was lost the same way and it wasn't until spring that we found the wind had blown the door open on an old building and she must have wandered in to get out of the wind but the door had closed and she was unable to get out.


----------



## CJBegins (Nov 20, 2009)

What a nightmare! One trick we used to find a yearling that got separated from the herd was to use her buddy and we loaded him into the trailer and took the trailer to where we suspected her to be. Took him out of the trailer and tied him and walked away from him. He whinnied loudly and in no time flat we could hear the yearling responding. 
She was glad to be found and have her buddy back.


----------



## Teej (Jan 14, 2012)

Keeping my fingers crossed that you find them soon!


----------



## Harmony_Meadows (Nov 4, 2007)

WE found them!!! They are home safe. Here is the story I posted on their facebook page:

Mirage and Willow were found in the abandonned rock quarry next door. They were spotted by Theressa Barton, Lorie McDonald and their children. In our attempts to get them home, I followed their trail all through the field that should have been closed off. They 100% got out through the gate left open by Bell workers.
We could see them but we could not get to them. With the thick brush and the fence in the way we could not find a way to get them home. We finally got a halter on Mirage thanks to the help of our new friend Ashley Darling. With the team effort from the Barton's, the McDonald's and Ashley, we managed to coax them out of a quarry pit and up to a section of fence we could cut away. We cut away the fence with bolt cutters and made a hole to take them through. We also had to open a gate into the main pasture to let them safely in.
At first, Willow would not come through. But a little grain and some coaxing from Mirage and we got them both safely back into the pasture. Once we got back to the top of the pasture we let Buck out.
He gave them a piece of his mind for leaving him behind and making him worry and sweat up. Then they all went back into the smaller paddock to eat hay where they will spend the day in pony purgatory!
We were very, very lucky. That quarry is full of open pits that have grown over with weeds and grass. It is a dangerous area and they could have been badly injured. It is also directly along the 401. Any little break in the fence and it could have been tragic for them and an unsuspecting driver on the highway.
Needless to say there will be strict measures put in place now and Bell will be getting a few dirty words thrown their way and a good bill for the mess they caused. They have fencing to replace for sure. So far we don't seem to need a vet but with a sweated up Buck and wet and cold horses all around I will be mindful. Once the minis dry and I kick them back outside I will let Buck, Mirage and Willow into the barn for a nice rest.
Thank you so much to the Barton's, The McDonald's and Ashley for all your help and hard work. And to everyone who shared their story and offered to come a search or keep an eye out. You are all amazing. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for helping me bring my babies home!
I am soaked up to my hips from the tall grass and weeds I trekked through. I am colder than I have been in a very long time. My legs and back are starting to fail. But I am one of the happiest people in the world right now!! 


Thank you for all teh prayersd and good thoughts. Sorry for the spellign, I am exhaused, in pain and frozen. BUT SO HAPPY!!! :happy:


----------



## secuono (Sep 28, 2011)

That's why I am so glad I refuse access to the power/phone cables on our property. Not only does their huge truck get stuck, the tow truck also gets stuck! Both make huge, long trenches and give zero care over the mess they just made. 
I know they would mess up my electric, let ALL my animals run free and they would end up responsible for nothing! I would lose my mind if that happened...I can't wait until this house is fixed and we can move! 


I hope you can find your horses!!!


----------



## Molly Mckee (Jul 8, 2006)

I would use more than a few words to the phone company. There is no excuse for this. I think I would put a hardened chain and lock on the gate and make the Bell Canada people come to the house to be allowed in.

I'm glad you found the horses!


----------



## where I want to (Oct 28, 2008)

I'm so glad. That is a horrible feeling- a sinking feeling of dread.
I had it happen once and thought it happened once (a field flooded and some kind soul moved them without my knowing so no horse when I came to rescue them.) 
Even reading your posts made me feel that awful feeling. 
Hooray.


----------



## wr (Aug 10, 2003)

I'm glad you found them but unfortunately, strong words have far less impact than cold hard cash. Demand that there is a note on your file indicating that there is livestock at large and insist on a sign at your gate that indicating that the same and to close gate immediately upon entrance and exit. 

When you prepare your bill, make very sure you provide details (X number of man hours searching for lost horses, time spent calling police, brand inspectors, etc, time spent assessing each horse for potential injuries, barn time & additional time or feed costs due to barn time. If it were me, I'd call the vet out for an assessment and bill that back to them too. 

What you're dealing with is part of what I do for a living so if you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to ask and I'd be happy to guide you.


----------



## dizzy (Jun 25, 2013)

Glad you found them OK.


----------



## Harmony_Meadows (Nov 4, 2007)

Thanks everyone for all the good thoughts. It has been overwhelming all the help and support we got to get them home and safe. My gelding is a bit sore, but I am not surprised. He has a crooked hind leg at the pastern so having him going up and down a near vertical path on a wet day, not good for him. Called the vet and for right now we are going to bute him and take a wait and see approach. 
Our lawyer is preparing to smack Bell in the backside for this. We are just totaling up the costs now. Since they have shown negligence all summer by not using their proper route back to the tower and have instead been driving big trucks on sections of my 1/2 mile track and wrecking it, they are going to be hit with a nice little bill and they will be shelling out for proper locks, fences and assorted other costs.
wr I would love to have you share your expertise with us in this matter. I found out yesterday that I have torn ligaments in my knee from breaking my leg this summer. This incident has set back my healing by at least a month, possibly longer. I am sore to the point I can't even take my 5 year old son out to trick or treat today. :grumble:
Not a happy camper am I.


----------



## Harmony_Meadows (Nov 4, 2007)

wr my biggest concern about submitting a bill for vet fees and whatnot for the horses is that Bell will just say well what does it cost to euthanize. Unfortunately it would be less than having a vet come out and doing a simple health check. What is your experience with that. So far the vet feels they don't need to make the trip out, but we may be changing our mind if Mirage, our gelding doesn't perk up with a bit of bute on board. I am just not too sure what too think.


----------



## wr (Aug 10, 2003)

Bell does not have the right or power to make you euthanize your horses. They caused the problem and ate obligated to compensate you for your time, inconvenience and out of pocket expenses. 


Sent from my iPhone using Homesteading Today


----------



## sidepasser (May 10, 2002)

Did you take any pictures of where the horses were found, the fence you had to cut to get them out, the gate left open, etc? I have found that pictures are worth a million words as there is literally no way to argue with time and date stamps, etc. Even if a corp. says "they are photoshopped", there are ways to check and see if that is so.

I would get some pics if I were you if at all possible. And no, the Bell co. can't make you euthanize your horses. Your horses were perfectly fine before the company left the gate open. However, if you had to euthanize because of this misadventure, I believe the company would be required to compensate you for the cost of the vet, the value of the horse, etc. In the USA there would be emotional pain and suffering tied to having lost an "old friend" as well. I do not know if Canada would be so inclined to award those types of damages.

Glad you recovered your horses and sorry about the knee.


----------



## dizzy (Jun 25, 2013)

People can be such idiots around horses. This article was being discussed last year on a horse board I'm on.

http://www.nj.com/gloucester-county/index.ssf/2012/07/capture_of_runaway_gloucester.html


----------



## Work horse (Apr 7, 2012)

Glad you got your horses back ok! You are right about the value of the vet bill -- don't count on Bell paying a vet bill that is worth more than the value of the horse. If your one horse is already less than sound, he's probably realistically not worth much more than meat price, so don't run up vet bills more than that. Well really, don't count on Bell doing much of anything. I'm not sure it's even worth your legal $$$ to pursue, but I do wish you luck.


----------



## wr (Aug 10, 2003)

Are the horses doing okay and has Bell Accepted financial responsibility?


----------



## Harmony_Meadows (Nov 4, 2007)

Both horses are doing well. Mirage, the Quarter Horse with a crooked leg was sore for about a week, week and a half but he is getting much better. I am not surprised, he motors around the pasture well enough but any real strain and he goes off for a while. Vet did not feel the need to come but gave recommendations of a few days of bute and we are now giving him some supplements to help make him feel a bit better. 
My invoices are with the lawyers, unfortunately I am limited in what I can do since the land belongs to my Father-In-Law and he has a contract with Bell. There will be certain limitations on what we can claim, but we are not going easy on them at all. They are going to be charged for the WHOLE section of fence that needs to be replaced, the whole container of bute, board for this month and next month on a horse that was supposed to come that weekend (the cost of one month of extra board and the standard one month's notice  ) All told we are looking at between $2500 and $3500 they will be billed for. 
On a happy note, Willow the draft X mare that went missing has had a major shift in behavior on the positive side. We got her last year from a feedlot situation. She is 5 years old and went to auction as a 4 year old completely unhandled. They sent her through the chute by cattle prod and beat the crap out of her. She is a sweetheart but does not trust. Just yesterday she let us pet her while she was lying down and she comes regularly now for pets and fuss. Even a few months ago that would have been impossible. We have very high hopes for her now. At 17+ hands and close to a ton she is a big girl. But she is not a dirty mare, never kicks or bites even in the herd, just wants to exit stage left in a big hurry! But now with her trusting a bit more we can do more work with her, I am almost think she may be ridable one day! 
I will post once we have some more info on the Bell situation. Lawyers take for ever!! I bug them regularly so with luck they will get sick of me and get a move on!


----------



## Harmony_Meadows (Nov 4, 2007)

I took tons of pictures. This one shows where they went in and out of the open pit. It doesn't really do it justice. It is nearly a vertical drop, lots of overgrown grass and loose rocks. It was a wet day so we were very lucky no one slipped. 

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?...123642.-2207520000.1384704412.&type=3&theater


----------



## Work horse (Apr 7, 2012)

Harmony_Meadows said:


> Lawyers take for ever!! I bug them regularly so with luck they will get sick of me and get a move on!


They also bill by the minute so you can expect every phone call you make to add $$ or even $$$ to your bill. Keep in mind you will have to pay that bill even if you get nowhere with Bell!


----------

