Natasha, the Flying Horse

Natasha, a plucky 8 year old horse, was trotting along a whimsical trail one sunny morn. All was well, until Natasha and her rider tried to ford the river (Oregon Trail style). She lost her footing in an unseen hole, sending the two barreling down the river. They eventually made it to the shore, but found themselves far from the trail and surrounded by an impassible canyon. Uninjured but trapped, they called for help.

The two were forced to spend the night on the rocky terrain, until a rescue helicopter capable of lifting them out could become available. With time, the Navy came to the rescue with a big ol' choppah (why does the Navy have helicopters? Shouldn't that be the Air Force's department? Does the Air Force know about this? Better keep quiet, they seem like they have a short temper).

They put a blindfold on ol' Natasha, and before she could tell what was going on, they were headed skyward!

I've seen a lot of weird things in my day, but a goddamn horse dangling from a Navy helicopter has gotta take the prize. There was certainly a moment where I paused to ask myself if I was actually seeing this, or if the missed lunch break was starting to take a hold of my sleep deprived mind.

So bizarre. She landed safely atop the mountain, and would soon be home eating carrots, or tomatoes, or whatever the hell horses eat.

Oh, and remember that impassible canyon I mentioned? It was covered with loose rocks, the result of a canceled dam project from some 30 years ago. No way a horse could ever have made it up. Heck, it'd be a trying time for any hiker!

News crews, however, don't seem to know any better.

This photo was taken by one of the other station's photogs, who looked like he was stopping to set up a base camp. The horse was at the river down yonder, and this was only half way up the mountain. I started thinking, "This is the real story!" It could have at least been a sidebar to the package.

Alas, the untold story of the storytellers continues to go untold. Well, I guess I'm telling it here, but still.

See the package (I didn't get to edit it, so no critiquing necessary) here.