Johnny and Roy

I don't think that I have ever felt more like Johnny Gage from the show Emergency than I did yesterday. The call initially got toned out as a citizen assist. We soon found out that we were responding to a house with a horse loose in the yard. When we got there we were able to use engine 71 and Engine 76, with some careful maneuvering, to block the only exit from the yard. We then started the process of trying to bridle a horse that liked roaming free. After it became apparent that the other firefighters were reluctant to approach the horse I volunteered. I was quickly able to get the horses trust and was soon standing beside it petting it (while listening to some of the firefighters calling me the Horse Whisperer). At this point one of our over zealous boots (a term used for firefighters on probation) walked up to the horse and tried to slip on the bridle. The horse did not like being approached in this manner and ran away. After several similar attempts (which probably looked a little like a SNL skit) we located the owner and he came and retrieved his horse. He was able to do so with minimal effort. I think the owner cheated. He had food. That's a lesson learned. When trying to capture a loose horse, grab a carrot or two for bribery.