arch parties from Howard and Carroll counties are continuing to comb through Patapsco State Park to search for a 10-year-old horse, named Play Doh, who went missing during a trail ride Memorial Day weekend.
The horse’s owner, Susan Crawford, said she was riding with a friend near the railroad tracks in Marriottsville around noon on May 27, traveling toward the Carroll County line, when the horse slipped after trying to turn around on the trail’s steep incline.
“I jumped off and he took off running. He was very scared,” said Crawford, who is a member of the League of Maryland Horsemen equestrian club. “He had his tack and saddle on with a lime-green holster and breast collar. We were close to the tunnel on the tracks. He ran along the tracks toward a parking lot and a couple saw him head right up into the woods.”
Maryland State Police, Howard County police, league members, mountain bikers and hikers have been actively searching for the horse since the incident; a grid-by-grid search was held over the weekend with more than 40 people on horseback.
Beginning in Marriottsville, Crawford said, the search has gone as far south as Folly Quarter Road in Ellicott City, while expanding east toward Henryton Road and along Route 99.
“We’ve had an overwhelming amount of support to try to find him, but really we haven’t had any sightings,” she said. “If he’s out there somewhere, he’s hiding or lost.”
Rodeo lassos Howard High student
Rodeo lassos Howard High student
Vicky Sadler, another League of Maryland Horsemen member, said a big concern is that the horse is still wearing its saddle and bridle, which can easily get caught on logs, debris or tree limbs.
“We have not ruled out that that is not what’s going on,” Sadler said. “Unfortunately, there’s a lot of private land on the Howard County side around Folly Quarter that makes it extremely difficult for people to search without permission. I’m sure they would report the horse if they saw it.”
As the search proceeds, Crawford said she’s appreciative of everyone’s help in looking for her horse with hopes of bringing him home.
“You sometimes get your hopes up, but then it’s like finding a needle in a haystack,” Crawford said. “There are so many acres and grass and water for him to eat and drink that it’s overwhelming when you think of what we’re trying to do.”
If anyone sees the horse, contact Crawford at 443-831-6527 or sac909@aol.com.
