Ned P. Rauch

erauch@lohud.com

Horse wanders onto I-684 in Bedford Monday

Traffic slowed to a trot as the horse went up the road

The horse then jumped the median into the southbound lane

A man familiar with horses eventually cornered and harnessed the horse

BEDFORD – Mustangs are common enough on local roads that they rarely turn heads and stop traffic. But a sleek chestnut model — with four legs rather than wheels — did just that on Monday as it galloped up Interstate 684.

The horse had bolted from an equestrian event at the John Jay Homestead in Bedford and, under a warm Memorial Day sun, was running wild up the normally busy highway.

Larry Hollander of Pleasantville was driving north with his wife and children around noon when the traffic around them slowed. A few lengths ahead, the horse bounded on, shifting from one lane to the other.

They called police and began shooting video with a cellphone.

"911 was almost as shocked as we were," Hollander said. "They said, 'A horse? Are you sure it's a horse?' "

They were sure, and they weren't the only ones. A client of Ashley Yozzo, who owns Summit Farms in North Salem, called Yozzo to spur her into action.

"I ran up to the barn and grabbed grain and a lead chain," Yozzo said. She and a stable hand hopped into a truck, its horse trailer still attached, and sped toward the interstate. Moments later, the local police called her, knowing her skills with horses would be useful.

By then, the horse had jumped the median separating the northbound and southbound lanes and was running against traffic. Hollander's video shows the daring leap and cuts off as a red station wagon stops just in time to miss the animal.

"I thought, 'Somebody's going to die,' " Hollander said. "My main concern was for the horse and everyone's safety."

Amazingly, no one crashed or hit the horse.

By the time Yozzo arrived, not far from the Katonah exit, the horse had been wrangled just off the shoulder and authorities were directing traffic. A woman Yozzo knew from the area's riding community, Robin Levine, had pulled over and managed to slip a halter onto the horse's head. Someone attached a dog leash as a makeshift lead.

The horse was hot and breathing heavily, Yozzo said, but, aside from some minor cuts on its legs, it wasn't injured.

Yozzo loaded the horse into her trailer and drove to Bedford to return it to its owner. There was a happy reunion, a refused offer of a reward, and a lesson.

"Always have the truck and trailer hooked up," Yozzo said. "You never know when someone's going to give you a call.

Staff writer Terence Corcoran contributed to this report.

Twitter: @NPRauch