Deceased EQUINE Royal Tern

I am sad to have to report that the search for Royal Tern has come to an end, and not the one we could have wished. The notion that she had been stolen always seemed a bit incredible, but after days of diligent searching turned up nothing, it was looking like it must be true. It turns out that the first and most obvious guess - that she had gotten out of the field - turned out to be correct.

Today Anita made the sad discovery of Tern's body, in a small sinkhole on neighboring property. It appears that she got out probably in the dark, and went head first into the unseen hazard breaking her neck and probably killing her instantly. It was a hole just deep enough to prevent her from being seen unless you were right on top of it, and in amongst some trees. It would not have trapped a living horse.

We do want to thank the legion of people who helped in the search and spread the word of her loss in case she had been stolen.