Elsa: The last of the Free Michigan Mustangs

It is always scary for us when our beloved pets run away from home. Most of the time, this happens at the worst possible time. This story is no different.

We were sitting at the kitchen table having dinner. The wind was blowing and snow was flying. The worst storm of winter was raging outside. Nearing single digit temperatures, I was not looking forward to going out to the barn to grain my horses. We live on and manage a hundred acre horse farm for a retired vet doctor. I wondered if the Barn Owl that lived upstairs would be awake and hooting when I went outside. I loved the deep "Hoo-Hoo"ing sound the owl would sigh that echoed throughout the stalls and down the aisles. The farm was a host for many animal's homes. The Barn Owl that lived upstairs could be heard giving a lonely call; there were also an old deaf cat named Albert that had been dropped off when the family that once had him couldn't keep him any longer. My favorite animal that lived in the barn (besides my horses), was the Bobcat mix that slept in the hay loft with the Barn Owl. About half the size of a wild Bobcat but still bigger than my Heeler dog, the barn Bobcat was grey with a tuff of white fur on his chest. He was friendly enough but not tame at all. I could never get close enough to pet the Bobcat before it would take off. As I was thinking about all the animals that lived on the farm, my cell phone lit up with a Facebook notification.

A girl that I had went to high school with many years ago tagged me in a post. Our community had a Facebook Group where people could ask for help and also post lost animals. A man had made a post that a horse was in his neighbors driveway and asked if anyone knew who the owners could be. My high school associate had asked if I knew this horse, thinking that I may know because I owned horses myself. I didn't recognize the horse. It was on the smaller side, although not a pony, and all white in color. I commented that I did not know who owned the horse but if the horse needed a place to stay, it could come to my house until the owners were found.

The original poster replied and said that the horse had been spooked and had ran north from his house. I became worried- this was not good. There was a blizzard outside and this horse was all white. Drivers would not be able to see the horse amidst the swirling snow. A couple months ago, a horse had gotten out of his pasture during a storm and had been hit by a vehicle. The horse had not survived and based on the location that this horse was headed, there were two very busy roads that the horse could come to.

I messaged some friends that I knew lived the way the horse had headed and they confirmed that they had seen a horse walking down the road. Not knowing much about horses, they didn't try to capture it. Another friend had noticed tracks in his back forty acres. I told my fiancé and we bundled up to try to track the horse. While he started the truck, I grabbed a rope halter, a bucket of grain and a lunge line. We wouldn't be able to trailer the horse home if we found it due to the deep snow. I would have to put the rope halter on and attach the lead so that I could sit in the bed of the truck and have the horse walk behind us home. I wanted a longer lead because I didn't know if the horse would be scared of the truck. I could give it more rope to walk farther behind us.

We drove to our friends property and found horse tracks. We tracked the horse two miles, shaking a grain bucket, hoping that it would come to us. It was so cold outside that my face stung and the snow was up to my knees. Luckily I had worn tall boots and Carhart bibs over my clothes. We guessed the general direction that the horse was going and realized that it could end up at our house. The woods where the horse would exit would come out at a 'T' of two roads. The two roads that I was worried about the horse crossing. We hurried back to the truck, trudging through the deep snow. As we headed back to the farm, my fiancé received a call. The owner of the barn that we manage had just received a call that horse had been caught in the parking lot of the College across the road from our house! It was the very same horse that we were looking for. We headed home to meet everyone.

The Sherriff department had a deputy in our driveway and the Doctor and his wife were opening the barn doors and turning on the lights. The barn was a breeding facility in the past with an attached indoor arena with over fifty stalls but now it sat mostly vacant. The older man that had caught the horse had acquired a halter and was slowly walking it down the College's long drive, across the road and to our house. It seemed that everyone was searching for this horse. It had become a Community effort. As the man reached the barn he handed the horse to me, sighing that he was entirely too old for this in a winded breath. We laughed and I was told to take the horse, who was a mare, to stall Eight. After giving her hay and water, the Doctor left along with the Police Department and the man who had found the horse. My fiancé noticed that the horse was shivering and asked if we could put a blanket on her. I said that we couldn't because she was soaking wet. He thought a moment and went away to search the barn. He came back with a ladder and two heat lamps. Standing the ladder in the stall on either side of stall Eight, he then hung two heating lamps from the ceiling of her stall. This would help dry her and keep her warm throughout the night.

Overall, the horse was fine. She was anything but happy though. She paced the stall and was neighing in distress. We figured this meant that there were other horses that she was with at home and she was calling for them. She was not visibly hurt though, and that was a blessing. She seemed to find comfort in us talking to her and my fiance petted her and noticed the icicles that hung from her belly and legs where she was still wet. "I bet she went through the river on the way here." He stared at her legs, "We can't keep calling her 'it', what was the name of that ice princess? Elsa. We will call her Elsa: the last of the Free Michigan Mustangs." He smiled, proud of himself. Elsa neighed again, calling out to her friends, "It's okay, Elsa. We will get you home." He stroked her forehead. I laughed and shook my head. I took pictures of Elsa to post on the Community Page to start searching for her owner. I included my phone number and the Doctor's phone number so people could reach out to use with information. I had many people message me with questions and what they thought that I should do but no one seemed to know who the owner was. Before the night was over, the Police Department called saying that the owner had contacted them. They asked if it was alright for them to give her our number. We told them yes and shortly after, the owner called.

Elsa's name was actually Myst. Myst lived about ten miles from our house, indeed on the other side of the river, and had run through her pasture fence due to the neighbors new farm animals. Her neighbors had bought ducks and had placed their duck pen right next to Myst's pasture. Myst had never seen ducks before and had become scared and must of ran through the fence once dark had fallen. The owner had not noticed she was gone until she had seen the post in the Community Page and had called Myst up to the barn- which Myst never came to. We made arrangements to trailer Myst home for the owner the next day. Due to the massive snow fall, her horse trailer was buried in the snow and she couldn't trailer her horse.

The following morning I checked on Myst and noticed that she was now dry but she was shivering. I put a blanket on her to keep her warm and took her outside. She was quite small compared to my horses and the blanket was big on her but it would keep her warm. The owner had said that Myst was an Arabian. Which explained her small size and outgoing personality. The owner had asked if there was a pasture that she could stay in since Myst does not normally stay in a stall. Some horses do not have experience with stalls and become anxious while in one. I set up an area outside for her with water and hay. Once outside she was happier. She could see the other horses and would play in the snow. I put my horse Khalee in a pasture next to her so she would have a friend.

At the end of the day, the owner came and we trailered her horse back to her barn. She was a nice lady and the farm that Myst lived on was nice- despite the ducks. I said goodbye and I went back home.

The next day I received a call that Myst had gotten out again! She had found her way back to our farm and to our horses. It seems that she was lonely at her home. Myst's owner agreed. She had owned another horse that was Myst's friend but the horse was old and had passed away. Now Myst lived alone without a friend. Afraid that Myst would continue to run away from her home to be with our horses, Myst stayed with us on the hundred acre farm. Her owner comes out twice a day to check on her. Myst has many friends such as the Barn Owl, the timid Bobcat-cross and our horses which are all away from Ducks and rivers and busy roads to live.