Jeremiah Stewart said when he got a call at work last night saying his daughter’s horse was missing, he rushed home to help look.
Blue, a 20-year-old brown and white paint mare who lives near Red Bank in Miramichi, had escaped through the electric fence around 8 p.m. Thursday. Stewart’s daughter Lylah was emotional.
“We have large amounts of anxiety today — last night and today,” Stewart said after spending the night searching nearby woods. “She’s a very loved pet.”
Blue was boarding in the city for a year, said Stewart, but came home yesterday. Something must have spooked her to make her run through the electric fence, he said.
Stewart said Blue is calm and approachable, but didn’t have a halter on which would make her harder to catch. She also gets attached to other horses.
She was only back with the family for a day before running off and Stewart hoped that she’s not searching for the other horses she was with.
Community steps up
Stewart’s wife, Shannon, made a Facebook post early Friday morning which garnered over 700 shares. She asked for the community’s help, calling for those with four-wheelers or drones to reach out.
Doug Kidd, a drone pilot for about seven years, said he heard about the post and offered to put the drone to use in the search for Blue.
“They needed help,” said Kidd. “Because if I could be of help, I’ll give it a shot.”
Kidd used the drone to check the fields, but he suspected Blue was hiding in the shade to escape the heat.
As an animal-owner, Kidd sympathized with the Stewart family.
“I know the feeling,” he said. “So if I can be of assistance, you step up.”
Stewart said the community was fantastic. Neighbours searched on their own, including some on dirt bikes.
Happy ending
The woman who used her trailer to bring Blue home Thursday morning decided to come join the search with three geldings, a mare and some of her students. They went out on horseback and started searching where Stewart last saw Blue’s tracks.
The animal was found around 3 p.m. about a kilometre away from where Stewart was looking earlier.
The four horses whinnied back and forth with Blue until they found her. Stewart said he did the same thing with some tape recordings of whinnying last night but “she needed the real thing.”
Despite being gone for almost a full day, Stewart said Blue is in perfect shape, except for a few scrapes.
Stewart said his daughter was elated.
“We’re just so happy to have her home,” he said.
Stewart said the community really came together to get Blue home safe. Neighbours they had never met were searching, he said.
“They were committed to finding her as much as we were. The people in this area really banded together for us and we really appreciate it.”
This story was originally published in CBC New Brunswick on July 22, 2022.
Hannah Rudderham Portfolio 