UTAH HORSE RETURNS HOME AFTER EIGHT YEARS OF RUNNING WILD
Utah native Shane Adams has experienced a number of big life changes over the course of the last eight years — the same period of time that his beloved horse Mongo was missing from home.
Shane went through a divorce, lost his home, and suffered a major brain injury in a car crash. But, then, in September, Adams finally received some amazing good news: his horse Mongo had been found.
"I thought, ‘There is no way. You have got to be kidding me,’" Adams told reporters about his reaction to learning the news.
"It did not seem real. To have him back is still not real," he said.
Adams, 40, grew up riding and training horses all his life, but he had never experienced such a strong a bond as he had had with Mongo, he said. "He was very special and has always been a part of my life.”
But, on March 31, 2014, on an ordinary camping trip in the desert — two hours west of Salt Lake City, Utah — things took a turn for the worse.
He said he heard the sound of wild horses in the early morning hours outside his tent and peeked out to see what was going on. He saw Mongo, his half-Quarter-Horse, half-Percheron, breaking loose and running away with a group of wild mustangs.
He rushed to chase after Mongo, but Adams was caught in a snowstorm.
"I thought he would just come right back. That was his mentality — he never went far. I didn’t think he would be gone," said Adams.
For three years, Adams never stopped searching for his horse. Every weekend, he went out looking for Mongo, and his father Scott Adams accompanied him.
Unfortunately, his father passed away last August, Adams said.
"I really wish my dad were here to enjoy this. My dad went out looking with me every time."
Adams got in touch with the Bureau of Land Management in Utah (BLM Utah) and did everything he could to ensure that people were aware that Mongo was missing.
However, as time went on, Adams had to go back to his job at his construction company. His position required him to be more present and active at work.
"You can’t run a USD$100-million-dollar job and only work two days a week because you are out chasing wild horses," he said.
By 201, Adams had given up hope and figured that Mongo was probably dead.
Then, in September of this year, Adams received a Facebook message from a BLM Utah employee. The person said Mongo had been found.
Mongo had been brought in, after being trapped in an official round-up of wild horses to control horse-herd size on government land.
She added that BLM’s horse specialist immediately knew Mongo was unlike the other wild horses, largely because of his size, and that hunch was further confirmed.
Mongo did not try to flee or fight like most of the horses. He settled down quickly, a sure sign of a tame horse, said Adams.
BLM Utah's horse specialist recognized Mongo and remembered Adams’ story.
Their team then reached out to the local brand inspector after discovering Mongo’s brand on his left shoulder, that had been covered up with winter fur.
The registered brand is how they were able to get Adams' contact information.
The next day, he drove four hours to pick up Mongo — the horse he had not seen for eight years.
Mongo had lost over 400 pounds (200 kg), but Adams knew that this was his special friend.
Adams said that he expected to see Mongo in a nervous state after years of running with wild horses. Yet, Mongo had not forgotten the things that Adams had taught him. He calmly walked right into the trailer that Adams had hitched to the back of his truck.
Adams said that reuniting with Mongo was a dream come true and a much-needed victory.
“This was really good, the only positive thing to happen to me in two years," he said.
And Mongo seems to be enjoying his return to farm life because it means he is able to enjoy again his favorite treat, Sour Patch Kids.
When asked how his late father would feel about this long-awaited reunion, Adams said, "My dad would be all sorts of excited. He would be tickled pink."
Adams spends his days now watching over Mongo and sharing his love for horses with his two kids, Owen, 11 and Anna, 8.
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