Police catch escaped pony found wandering in Westchester County. Here's how they found its owner.
LARCHMONT, N.Y. -- A wandering pony was found trotting along the streets of Westchester County early Friday morning. He was eventually caught by police, but then came another tricky part -- finding the owner.
Pony on the loose in Westchester County
Larchmont Police Sgt. John Dispenza retraced the pony's journey and showed CBS New York body camera video from the responding officers who were on the midnight shift Friday.
"This is not an everyday common experience for the police department," he said.
A sergeant and a police officer first spotted the pony running in the middle of Boston Post Road.
"Basic police academy, they don't give you any training on how to grab a pony that's running down the side of the roadway" Dispenza said.
Dispenza says the responding sergeant got out of his vehicle and managed to grab the pony's halter.
The pony did not like being held by the sergeant and started nipping at him, so the sergeant tied the pony to a tree and an animal expert was called.
Search for escaped pony's owner in Westchester County
Dispenza says City of New Rochelle Police officers, who were also on the scene, called the Twin Lakes Farm in Eastchester. The pony did not belong to the farm, but they took it in and posted photos on social media, asking if anyone recognized it.
That post got the attention of the owner. He's an out-of-towner from Florida passing through with the pony. The pony was being kept temporarily in the backyard of a home when someone accidentally left a gate open.
The owner, who does not want to be interviewed or identified, called the farm, and from there, the pony was taken in a trailer back home.
The owner said thank you to everyone involved.
"We don't want any loose ponies running around where they can cause an accident or harm the pony, as well," Dispenza said.
The owner promised police that while he is on the area with his pony, he will take extra steps to keep the animal secure.