Orangeburg police did double-duty as cowboys Sunday afternoon, as they tried to corral a lost horse running through traffic along U.S. Highway 301.

For Michael Reynolds, the incident started as he was sitting in his home on U.S. Highway 301 North. He heard horns blaring and stepped outside to see what was going on.

“The horse was in the road in front of my house,” he said. Reynolds ran back to get a halter, but when he returned to the road, the horse was gone.

Meanwhile, Orangeburg police received a call about a horse in the road. They spotted it near The Hot Spot convenience store and began the job of trying to corral it.

Police followed the horse, at the same time trying to maneuver it so it wouldn’t run into oncoming traffic. They thought they had it corralled near Walgreen’s, but it escaped.

Finally, they cornered the horse at the Edisto River near Horne Wetlands Park. Reynolds said he and a friend were able to catch the horse and tie it to a tree.

“Our guys did a good job, We had about five or six guys here,” said Orangeburg Department of Public Safety Lt. A. Robinson. He said officers wanted to make sure citizens and the horse were uninjured. A deputy with the Orangeburg County Sheriff’s Office also joined in the chase.

Officers called Animal Control to check out the horse and hold it until they figured out who it belongs to. Reynolds’ wife was also calling people to find out who might be missing a horse.

“We’re just trying to locate the owner of the animal and get it back into their custody,” Robinson said.

Reynolds said something similar happen five or six years ago when a neighbor’s horse escaped.

“It didn’t go this far before we caught him. ... It’s not something you want to do, chasing a horse on the highway. They usually don’t last this long on the highway,” he said.

Reynolds said the horse “seems to be decent. It calmed down when you put your hands and halter on him. ...

“They need to enter him in the Elloree Trials.”

-- City Editor Gene Crider can be reached at gcrider@timesanddemocrat.com and 803-533-5570. To comment on this and other stories, visit TheTandD.com.

You must be logged in to comment.