40 Horses Bolt From Burbank Corral, Run Through Streets

Tempted by an open gate, 40 riding horses bolted from their Burbank corral Saturday morning and galloped through the streets, some hoofing it to a Glendale strip mall eight miles away, police said.

The frightened animals were corralled two hours later by more than a dozen Burbank and Glendale police officers, aided by residents using cars to block streets and cell phones to call in the latest sightings. No one was injured, although the escapade left a few horses with sore muscles, stable workers said.

The incident began just after 8 a.m. at the Circle K Riding Stables on Mariposa Street when the gate was left ajar, Burbank Police Sgt. Eric Rosoff said.

The recent rainy weather had apparently made the horses restless and eager for some exercise, said Erin McLaughlin, a Circle K worker. “They have a little more energy than usual. They’re a little playful,” she said. When they got out, “They were like, ‘Wheeee! Let’s go!’ and they all went flying down the street.”

The 911 calls poured in as the horses stampeded across Glendale, galloping down busy Alameda Avenue, San Fernando Road and Colorado Street.

Two horses trotted into someone’s frontyard. A few always-prepared Boy Scouts managed to detain one just north of Glenoaks Boulevard. Seven horses wound up in a strip mall parking lot on the outskirts of Eagle Rock.

By midmorning, all of the escapees had been captured and returned to the stables. No property damage was reported, police said.

“Usually, it’s one or two that get away. It’s never been as many as this. . . . It was very scary. It was not amusing at all when it was happening,” Rosoff said.