Even wild horses couldn’t drag him away.
A horse named Mongo has returned home to his owner Shane Adams after being on the run for eight years. “He acts like nothing ever happened,” Adams said, despite spending nearly half of his life with a herd of mustangs.
Adams was camping in Utah’s West Desert with his horse Mongo nearly a decade ago when he became entangled. Mongo had been tied to Adams’ tent, but when a herd of wild mustangs passed by, he bolted.
Adams dashed out of his tent and tried to apprehend Mongo, but it was too late. He eventually had to return to his northern Utah home without his horse.
He warned the Bureau of Land Management and everyone else he knew to keep an eye out for Mongo. And for the following three years, he made weekend trips back to the desert to look for his companion.
He stopped going to the desert and bought another horse because he didn’t have much hope left, but he kept Mongo’s halter just in case.
Time kept marching on and he never heard another word about his beloved horse until September 2022 when the Bureau of Land Management reached out to him.
They recently captured a herd of wild mustangs and noticed one horse was gentler than the others.
They realized he matched a description Adams had given them years before after taking a closer look.
‘Never in my life’
The two were recently reunited, a moment Adams never anticipated.
What’s more bizarre is that, despite being 18 years old and severely underweight, Mongo was eager to saddle up.
“It’s insane that he still acts like the same horse,” Adams said. “After eight years of being wild, he acts as if nothing happened.”
Mongo, welcome home! May you spend the rest of your days surrounded by the people who love you the most.