Escaped Horse Runs Onto Massachusetts Highway

Shyer Cross went for a "jaunt" on a state highway in Southeastern Massachusetts

By  Ryan Erik King
WHDH

I've seen some strange things while driving on highways that I wished were recorded on camera, from the just disappointing like discarded furniture sitting on the shoulder to the absurd like a tow truck centipede. Yes, a tow truck towing a disabled tow truck towing another disabled tow truck. However, I've never seen an unattended horse on an active highway. Now, I have.

Drivers in Taunton, Massachusetts got a rude awakening during their morning commute last Tuesday. On Massachusetts Route 140, 30 miles south of Boston, a horse was spotting galloping down the road alongside traffic. A motorist even took out their phone and recorded a video of the loose horse.

During the video, someone in the car says, "Hey, horsie. What are you doing, bud?" I can't lie; I let out a bit of chuckle while watching the video because that's what I would do in the same situation. Partly out of curiosity and partly out of concern for the horse, I'd slow down and talk to the horse like a lost family pet. Law enforcement responded to the situation and was thankfully able to coax the horse safely off the road.

The horse is a 6-year-old Shyer Cross draft horse named Max. He was only in the care of his new owner, Liz Norton, for a week when he escaped Norton's farm. She told WHDH, "He broke through the fence over in that corner and he just got loose and went for a jaunt."Norton assured the local independent TV station that she would take more measures so Max wouldn't escape again. The horse had broken through a wooden fence during his escape, but Norton said that she would install more electric fencing around her farm. Max, stay safe and avoid highways if you get out again.

Comment(s)

Recommended