Eight horses broke away from Celtic Cross Stables, and galloped together in a herd along Tremaine Road in Milton, Ontario. Their flight onto the road put the horses and civilians into harm’s way.
A woman saw the running horses and attempted to pull off the road to wait for the horses to pass. Several of the animals careened into her car, causing a couple to go down from the collision. The other horses continued running, now highly spooked.
Police made an effort to block the road with cars, but the horses were frightened by the bright lights. In addition, noise from a nearby train spooked the horses into panic, making them more crazed.
Sgt. Craig Platt of Halton Regional Police said, “To have eight horses in one group running in the same direction and then coming into contact with a vehicle is very unnerving. Two of the horses actually attempted to leap over that service vehicle."
Apparently, a second horse also tried to jump over the back of a police car but could not clear it and crashed into the back window and trunk, smashing out the back window and denting the rear left.
The officer and his police dog were not hurt.
A veterinarian called to the scene examined several of the horses. There were two horses dead at the scene and a third sustained serious injury and may yet have to be put down.
The five remaining horses were finally caught by uniformed and tactical police officers after a considerable effort and time. They were returned to the farm with the help of their owners.
A Halton Regional Police officer summed up the melee in this statement:
A citizen observed the horse stampede approaching her vehicle and she pulled over to the side of the roadway. The galloping horses ran into her vehicle.
The horses then stampeded towards the parked police vehicle. One horse leapt over the front of the vehicle and made contact. A second horse jumped over the rear of the police vehicle and came crashing into the back window and trunk area.
After a considerable amount of effort, the five remaining horses were rounded up by a number of uniform and tactical police officers. The remaining horses were taken back to their farm by their owners who live nearby.
It is not known how the horses managed to escape from the confines of the stable.
No charges have been made.
Read: CNews, CBC, National Post
Please see video entitled Stampede on Milton sideroad
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