The Rescue of Belle and Sundance: One Town's Incredible Race to Save Two Abandoned Horses

by Birgit Stutz, Lawrence Scanlan

In December 2008, snowmobilers spot two abandoned horses high in the Canadian Rockies. Starving and frostbitten, the horses have trampled the ten-foot-deep snow into a narrow white prison. Those who reach them bring hay but also a gun, in case the horses are too far gone. A glint of life in the horses' eyes earns them the hay.

The harrowing yet inspiring story of their near impossible rescue -- involving the volunteer efforts of an entire village, first the excavation of a trench six feet deep and over 3280 feet long, and then a nearly 20 mile descent at negative 40 degrees -- is sure to be read in one breathless sitting.

Genres: Animals, Nonfiction, Horses, Biography Memoir, Survival, Adventure

240 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 2010

Reviews

[Lisa James · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a horsewoman myself, with 3 senior horses that I rescued, when I spotted this book on a table at the local library sale, there was no way I was leaving it there. I didn't anticipate that a story that happened in 2008, whose outcome I knew was a good one, would leave me reading through tears. The black & white photos scattered throughout the book, documenting the progress of the saga went from heartbreaking to joyous. One of my own had been starved before we found each other. Everyone tells me that I saved her, but I couldn't have done it without a community either. I'm dedicating this read to Selene, my little grey ghost, who made the long journey back from suffering the way Belle & Sundance did.

[Minna · Rating 3 out of 5]

A really nice feel-good story about helping two horses abandoned in the mountains in Canada.
I agree with some other reviewers who felt that the tone was a bit impersonal - the author emphasized that the rescue of the horses was something the townspeople would have done for any person, animal, or even machine (which I do not believe). The tone of the book was a little inconsistent; for example, it was repeated, over and over and over, that people who noticed the horses could have put them down, should have put them down, why hadn't they put them down?! although this attitude was then criticized later in the book.
However, there is a lot to admire in the lengths to which the people of the community went to save the horses. I am really glad to hear that Belle and Sundance found good homes. I just wish the thousands of other abandoned, mistreated, or unwanted horses in North America could do the same.

[Chase · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a gorgeous story but it is less about the horses and rather a lot about various people digging in the snow and being cold. The study could have been told in a magazine article. Nonetheless it's a lovely, feel good tale.

[Jami · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the story of the rescue. Kudos to all who braved treacherous conditions for the love of these horses.

[Tonya · Rating 2 out of 5]

This feel-good book about a Canadian town (plus some outsiders) pulling together to rescue two abandoned pack horses stranded and starving high in the Canadian mountains is a quick and satisfying read. Though not well written, it nonetheless draws the reader into the story even when the outcome is predictable. Animal lovers will enjoy being transported into a world of beauty, snow, camaraderie, -30'F temperatures, and lots of shoveling!

[Shadowspirit369 · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book has a really good story in it. The strength of some of the characters and the dedication to the rescue of the horses is admirable.

However all the way through the story is a really strong note of arrogance. It really shows is a couple of ways:

1. Towards the original owner of the horses and his terrible series of mistakes.

2. The sledders in the area. The author keeps making them out to be terrible, irresponsible, don't care and even in one section of the book (which also probably happened in real life) she has a go at a group of sledders and almost verbally abuses them for not digging.

3. Has a very much one sided opinion throughout the book despite the author's half-hearted attempts to have a balanced view.

Now, I'm not saying that what the owner did in abandoning his horses wasn't anything but wrong but, he made a series of mistakes and he didn't abandon his horses out of maliciousness. The book doesn't really seem to totally accept this. Otherwise it was a ok read.

[Kelley · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story was interesting... what to do with two horses left in the mountains of Canada, that don't come out on their own, with an owner that makes a number of poor choices, and a community that comes together to help. The photos were good, but the author had more of a self righteous tone than I expected (and I expected a fair bit!!). I don't know if the most human thing to do was to dig these horses out vs. put them down when they were found starving. These people worked incredibly hard and put themselves at risk to save the horses, and it was heart warming to hear about people coming together and the horses making it out..... but the tone of the author and the questionable choices made by the rescuers made it a hard book to read and appreciate for its good points.

[Nathan Albright · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fascinating book more for its context than for its contents.  And to be fair, its contents are quite interesting, as the book consists of a tale told by one of the organizers of an ad hoc committee of snowmobile enthusiasts and horse enthusiasts to save two starving horses who had been abandoned by their owner.  The context of the story, though, is even more fascinating, as it deals with the question of how to take care of animals and how it is that people who do not know what they are doing can bring animals into great harm through their negligence.  Also, the context of this story involves the immense resilience of creatures to live and the way that even a misanthropic area like the rural Canadian valley in British Columbia where this book's action takes place can join together, more or less, on behalf of two nobles horses who found themselves facing starvation through no fault of their own.  The agenda of this book, which is far more favorable to the SPCA than I particularly am, keeps this book from being as good as it could have been, but it is possible this book would have been published no other way.

This particular book is designed to be a saga of epic endurance, but it's not quite as epic as the author would wish for it to be, at least for anyone other than the horses.  There are really three acts to this story.  In act one, a couple of horses are abandoned and their owner goes to visit them several times, at first assuming that they will be able to reach lower lands without realizing the bog that has caused problems for them and then assuming that they will die of starvation so he does not need to put them down.  In act two, the horses are found to be both starving and abandoned and an organized effort is made to bring them back to safety.  This is really the core of the book, and shows how efforts were made to dig through the snow, ferry people to and from the various digs being made in the snow, and how it was that the horses were walked to a safe area after they were freed from their snowy imprisonment.  The third act then takes place as the horse's owner is brought to court for various counts of animal neglect and cruelty and the horses are given to new owners after some time in a rescue farm.

Reading a book like this is fairly fascinating for what it has to say about both horses and people.  The author obviously has some strong opinions when it comes to horses and how they should be treated, including the implicit social contract that is made between people and the animals that they tame regarding the care that will be provided for loyal service.  Likewise, the author has a lot to say about the personality of horses, whether viewed individually or when one looks at horse communities and their hierarchies.  What the author has to say about people is equally interesting, even if not equally praiseworthy.  The author seems to be of multiple minds when it comes to the owner of the horses, being very harsh on him towards the end after being somewhat deliberately moderate in her tone at the beginning.  Perhaps she figured that those who were partisans of the horses' original owner would not bother to read until the end to see how messed up Canada's system of dealing with animals is when the SPCA has the authority to rid someone of their property rights in animals.

[Sarah B · Rating 5 out of 5]

So I found this book to be very riveting!

A pair of almost starved horses trapped in deep snow way up on top of a mountain. And they had been trapped there for a long time. They were skin and bones. Once the people of the nearby town found them, how could they save them? The snow was so deep. Deeper than the horses were tall in many places.

And this is a true story, written by one of the people who had been there.

So while the story itself has many bleak parts the book itself was not dark or depressing at all. In fact I found it to be a page turner! Why? I really wanted to know how were you going to get those horses off of that mountain!!

I suppose the only answer was obvious? You gotta dig. And do it by hand. All of that snow. There is no other way. It was backbreaking labor but done to save a pair of gentle souls. And just before Christmas too!

I also found out a few new things about horses from this book. Apparently many horses do not like narrow places - like the narrow tunnels they were digging. And that they could not walk on the snow - they would just sink in and get trapped. So that meant digging way down to the solid ground or rock... And they had no idea if the horses would even enter the tunnel! They dug on blind faith.

So get out the shovels!

The writing truly brings the whole story to life. An excellent survival story based on a true incident and it includes black-and-white photos too.

[Rose Priem · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a story of a community getting together and also strangers to save two horses. It shows we can get together for a wonderful cause and connection with animals. We need more stories like this to show we can work together. Also important as stated in the book there are a lot of stories out there of people who help others human or animals that do not get recognition but should so lets keep these types of stories going of helping each other and doing the right thing. A true hero is one that gets involved even in a small way to make a difference and not stand by the sidelines.

[Ruth Walker · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice story about the rescuing of two horses stranded in the Canadian Rockies, not sure there is enough to the story for a book so it does get a little repetitive at times, I wasn't a huge fan of the writing either but I did find the progress of the horses interesting, and the account of the method of rescue, and of working in the snow and intense cold.

[Arianna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very good story that i enjoyed reading it was all about these 2 horses and where it took place it was on top of a big mouton and there were a lot of pretty flowers there.

[Stacey · Rating 2 out of 5]

A real heartwarming story of how a community came together to rescue belle and Sundance, two horses stranded in the alpine. This book shows you how people can come together and bring light into our world. I really enjoyed the story but the writing is a bit dry.

[Roxane Erickson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love true-stories & especially ones that involve animals.
Loved this book.

[Renee · Rating 2 out of 5]

An amazing story not particularly well written

[Almira · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mahatma Gandhi said
"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated."

This story involves two abandoned horses, an errant lawyer (Frank Mackay) and the community of McBride, British Columbia.

Belle and Sundance were left in the Canadian Rockies by Frank MacKay, who had no experience leading pack horses in the wilderness. He figured, wrongly, that they would find their way out of the wilderness back to "civilization". Several folks, over a period of time, had seen these horses wandering around in the alpine area of Mount Renshaw, at the first sightings there was plenty for them to forage for food, as winter drew near, still more sightings - folks would call the RCMP or SPCA, and yet no one made any attempt to get them out of the area, even the lawyer who owned them contacted the authorities, promising to get them (yeah, right!). But when they were still spotted after the snows came to the Rockies, things took on a different perspective. Snowmobile season was fast approaching, and snowmobilers started reported seeing the pair - looking pretty awful.

The community of McBride is made up of folks that depend upon each other, folks born and bred to live in a harsh northern climate, people who farm, breed horses and take care of them, so when Birgit and her friends started hearing of the condition of the two horses, and with the temperature dropping steadily, they decided to take action.

It was just before Christmas 2008 when the action went into full swing.
Digging a trench in snow, in a wilderness area to bring down to pack horses, many folks thought it better to dispatch the horses rather than save them. However, Birgit and community stuck together.

Possilby you might not want to read this story, however, this is a book of determination, strength of character, hope and love. The outcome is "happy".

Please consider this one if you are a supporter of animal rights.

[Christina Getrost · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick read, and a sweet story. Two horses are abandoned by their owner in the Rocky Mountains of Canada, when he gets stuck and can't go further up, and the horses won't go back down through a swamp. He tries to rescue them, but not very well--he thinks they will get themselves out! Snowmobilers and hikers spot them over the next few months, and eventually locals start to realize that the horses are starving and frostbitten and well and truly stuck. Winter has set in by now and the horses can't feed themselves, they've trampled the deep snow into a prison. So residents of the closest town spring into action as word of mouth spreads, and make incredible efforts to bring the horses some hay and vet care while they figure out how to rescue them. It's quite the undertaking in this wild countryside! Happy ending for everyone and just desserts for the guy who abandoned them. Has photographs of the rescue and many of the people involved in the rescue. Nice story about perseverance, kindness, and community.

[Kate · Rating 2 out of 5]

'Feel good' horse rescue story, but I think it's more 'newspaper article' than 'book' worthy.
Almost more about the people digging than about the horses.

Here's the summary:

Man overestimates skills and makes a big navigation mistake, leaving his 2 pack horses too exhausted to follow him back down. He decided to let them loose, assuming they'll make it back to civilization on their own. The don't.
They get stuck high up a mountain in winter, freezing with no food at all, to very slowly starve to death. About 20 local volunteers rally and in the days that follow slowly dig a 1km long narrow trench to guide them out, and gradually reintroduce them to food. They end up at 2 different good homes. The end.

[Karen & Gerard · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Rescue of Belle and Sundance—One Town's incredible race to Save two Abandoned Horses by Birgit Stutz and Lawrence Scanlan is a great true story! Two horses are trapped on a mountain in six feet of snow, not to mention, blizzard-like conditions at 40 below zero! Around Christmas, people come out and shovel and shovel and some bring blankets. This is a remarkable story of two horses that have the will to survive and determination of the people who come to rescue them. I really enjoyed this book. If you love animals and are looking to read a feel good story, look no further—this is it!
(Gerard's review)

[Bonnie · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I wouldn't exactly call it "one breathless read" as noted in the description, I did read this in one afternoon. It was a touching story, but one I imagine Hollywood would have to "juice up" a bit to make it more appealing. After all, as perilous as these horses' situation was, and despite the enormous effort it took to rescue them, everything did pretty much go according to plan with not even poor weather hampering the rescue workers. It was a pretty cut and dried rescue story, complete with happy ending and justice brought to the former owner. Nothing terribly exciting but an enjoyable read.

[Farmgirl · Rating 4 out of 5]

All of Lawrence Scanlan's books are clear, fascinating and very well written. This story of two horses abandoned on Mount Renshaw near McBride is all that and more. No false notes, no punches pulled, a very fair and accurate telling of the facts in a stay-up-all-night-until-its-finished package. A very moving account of how a few dedicated people working together can dig a 2.5 km trench through 10' of snow in -30 degree weather for no personal gain the week before Christmas! I love small town BC!

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

the heartwarming, remarkable story of an entire village coming together to bring this horses down out of the harsh elements. Birgit Stutz includes many details about her own horse experience including information about her teaching and about the horses she owns. She explains horses. Her basic explanations and no frills writing enable any level of reader to follow this story. Sometimes that can be an annoyance and bog down the story. The writing remains dry and while it’s a horrific situation for these horses, the story lacks true emotional impact. Otherwise it's a compelling story.

[Linda Nichols · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good story about two horses who were abandoned by their owner when he could not get them to follow him down from the mountain he was on. They were pack horses taking supplies to a friend of his, but he was inexperienced and got into a bind and had to leave the horses. They were alone on the mountain for weeks and winter had fallen before people were truly aware of their predicament. This is the story of how the people of a town in northeastern British Columbia rescued the horses, and the ending tells of the owner's trial and punishment. Good story.

[Trisha Mick]

Inspiring. Two horses left for dead by their owner (in September) overcame their struggles and managed to hang on to life until rescuers finally came to their help (in December). The story of Belle and Sundance will have you gripping the edge of your seat with anger, suspense, and finally happiness and joy once the two horses are finally on their way to a better life. Definitely a book for any animal lover.

[Naomi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did enjoy this book, but do agree with some of the readers that it was a "just the facts, ma'am" writing style. I thought with how this town came together to save two horses, it could have been been much more upbeat. I would still read and recommend the book because I thought it was amazing what these people did. I just wish the writing would have been more inviting.

[DreamPacker · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love it that these horses were rescued and admire the tremendous efforts of many. However, the book was not very well written and lacked emotional impact. Much of the background information on various people, I didn't really care about. I ended up just skimming through background to find out the details on the actual rescue.

[Brit McCarthy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A heartwarming story of how a town worked together to free two trapped horses that without their help would have starved to death in the cold winter up on the mountain. I was glad to see they found good homes in the end! I also think it's beautiful to see the lengths people will go to help animals who cannot help themselves. Gives me a bit of hope for humanity.

[Rita Chapman · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Rescue of Belle and Sundance is the true story of the rescue of two horses left high on a mountain over winter. Cornered by the snow and starving, these emaciated horses are finally brought down from the mountain by volunteers from the town and local tourists. Written by one of the rescuers it is something that will appeal to horse lovers and makes for an unusual story.

[SouthWestZippy · Rating 5 out of 5]

In December of 2008 two horses were spotted in the Canadian Rockies. This is the story of people who would not give up on getting out trapped and starving Belle and Sundance. They were left behind by their owner to fend for themselves when they grew tired and could go no further with him. Quick easy read that will fill you with angry, tears and inspiration.

[Deb Stransky · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a horse lover so this book was a book that really appealed to me. Amazing rescue of 2 horses let loose by their owner in the fall to fend for themselves then winter(in the Canadian Rockies). This small town pulled together and rather then destroy the animals they saved the horses. The horses were adopted out despite the owner's request to get them back.