Santa Rosa family finds missing horse

SANTA ROSA, Texas (ValleyCentral) – A Santa Rosa family found their missing pet horse Wednesday afternoon.

The Bravo family searched for Nelly, their 3-year-old horse who escaped while wandering on a family ranch.

Soledad Bravo noticed her horse missing after coming home from work and saw a collapsed fence.

Nelly was nowhere to be found.

“We noticed that one of the fences had kind of fallen down,” Soledad Bravo said. “We think that’s where she may have come out.”

Soledad told ValleyCentral that her husband regularly feeds all the horses each morning before heading into town for the day.

“[Nelly] was there when [my husband] is gone,” Soledad said. “I arrived around 5 p.m. after work and noticed she wasn’t there.”

Soledad and her husband immediately began searching for Nelly until 10 p.m. the same day Nelly disappeared.

Nelly was missing for approximately 24 hours before she was found at a residence Thursday afternoon on San Felipo Road.

“A very nice lady there said her husband was tied [Nelly] towards a tree out front in case someone was looking for her,” Soledad said. “I'm so grateful they gave her water and took care of her and I'm happy she's back home.”

The Bravo family believes Nelly was stretching over the fence looking for a certain grass to eat when she escaped through the fence.

“They are picky eaters. There’s so little grass around that I think they’re looking to put that grass outside the fence,” Soledad said. “I think that's it.”

Cameron County Livestock Manager Sonny Ramos reminds residents to report missing livestock.

“First, call the Cameron County Sheriff’s Office,” Ramos said. “If we don't contact the owners or can't find them, the next step is to go find them. [livestock] up.”

Livestock that have been recovered by Cameron County authorities but have not been claimed by an owner will be put online.

The Bravo family reminds horse owners to always love and care for their pets.

“As owners, we need to make sure we protect them. [horses]”, Soledad said. “It starts with making sure the fence is secure, providing them with food and water so they don't try to get out. These things need to be done regularly.