One of two escaped horses dies in downtown Laurens

Laurens, South Carolina – The search for the second of two escaped horses ended sadly Wednesday afternoon when the horse passed away soon after it was captured in downtown Laurens.

“We had been looking for the two horses that escaped Sunday, and the first horse was caught Monday in a pasture behind a fence, and that one is doing well,” said Laurens Police Chief Heath Copeland. “This definitely isn’t the outcome we wanted for this second horse.”

After the second horse remained loose, roaming in and near city streets, the owner of the farm reached out to a horse handler experienced in capturing horses. He followed the horse on horseback Wednesday for several hours with a support truck and horse trailer.

“On Wednesday it went all the way out to New Prospect church area and all the way back downtown where it was crossing East Main Street,” Copeland said. “The last location had been on Chestnut, Street. Then all of a sudden it ran into the CPW parking lot where (the horseman) was able to capture it.”

After it was lassoed, however, it struggled and then collapsed. A veterinarian wasn’t able to revive it.

Throughout the week police had been assisting and trying to keep the horse off the road where it could be a danger to drivers and itself.

The owner of the farm, located within the city limits, had explained that the horse is a pasture horse and unfamiliar with the city streets, vehicles and other people.

“Many people had become interested and concerned about these horses,” Copeland said, “and it’s not what we wanted to see happen to this one.”

This is an update to a Quick Read story on Page 1 of the Wednesday, Dec. 11 issue of The Laurens County Advertiser.