A Horse Off Course : Owner Fails to Claim Arabian Gelding Found Wandering on Freeway

Mr. Ed never had it so weird. Lost by its owner and chased by bikers off the Simi Valley Freeway, an Arabian horse was finally detained by police at a Northridge gas station.

The homeless young gelding had settled down to a steady diet of carrots and fresh alfalfa hay Thursday as animal control officers puzzled over why no one has stepped forward to claim the animal that they impounded earlier this week.

“If you lost your wallet full of money, you’d call somebody. If you lost a diamond ring, you’d call somebody. We’ve got a $1,500 horse, and nobody has called,” said Lt. Richard Felosky of the city Department of Animal Regulation.

The horse was impounded early Tuesday after a group of motorcyclists called police about 6:30 a.m. to say they found the horse trotting on the freeway. The motorcyclists told police that they chased the animal down the Reseda Boulevard off-ramp so it would not be hit by morning traffic.

Police corralled the horse on the corner of Reseda Boulevard and Devonshire Street, where it had stopped at a gas station, Felosky said. The horse put up little resistance.

“I’m not even a horse fan, but this horse kind of strikes you by its calm and congenial disposition,” said Felosky, who described the horse as beautifully groomed and deep brown with a black mane and tail.

At the shelter, Felosky said, the horse “walked right up to me and put his head down like he wanted me to scratch him. He’s been a perfect gentleman so far.”

Felosky said he was worried that the horse may have left its owner injured somewhere, but the animal had no saddle or harness when it was found.

If it remains unclaimed, the horse could be auctioned off as early as next week, but because of its obvious value, the shelter will probably keep it a few weeks longer, Felosky said.