For two full weeks, Playdoh the horse wandered through the woods alone.
He'd been on a ride with his owner, Susan Crawford, on Memorial Day when the trail they were following gave out. The trail's instability completely spooked poor little Playdoh, who ran off, leaving Crawford in the dust.
For the next two weeks, Crawford and her entire community searched tirelessly for her precious horse. However, their efforts proved unsuccessful. Crawford told LittleThings, "Although it sounds like a cliche, I did feel like I was trapped in a nightmare. It was hard to understand how he could have vanished, or that no one had seen him or found any of his tack."
Just as her chances of finding Playdoh grew extraordinarily slim, three hikers called saying they'd found Playdoh! These miraculous strangers reunited Crawford with Playdoh at the nearby Woodstock Inn — her precious angel finally home safe and sound.
Had Crawford's community not taken such extraordinary strides to spread awareness that Playdoh was missing, who knows if these strangers would have recognized him.
Scroll through our gallery to learn more about this adorable horse's heartwarming rescue and how he's recovering from his ordeal.
This past Memorial Day, Playdoh the horse went for a lovely trail ride with his owner, Susan Crawford.
However, along the way, their path gave out, totally spooking her precious horse.
Playdoh bolted straight into the woods, leaving Crawford behind.
Crawford looked everywhere for Playdoh, but her beloved horse was nowhere to be found.
Crawford told LittleThings, "When he went missing, I could not sleep and my stomach rolled.
"I got up in the morning hoping to see him back at camp and each morning, I walked the trail where he was last seen, hoping to catch sight of him."
She continued, "I tried to come to terms with the worst case scenarios — he was hurt, he had been taken, he had been hit by a car.
"Trying to face the worst helped me put those thoughts aside and focus on doing everything I could to find him."
Crawford and her friends tried everything they could think of to find little Playdoh.
She told LittleThings, "We tried helicopters and drones but, unfortunately, the terrain here was not conducive to those searches.
"We had over 10,000 shares of Playdoh's story. He appeared on the nightly news and in many newspapers and online outlets. Hundreds of posters were hung and the League of Maryland Horsemen, where we were staying, turned their campground into a base camp.
"They organized searches and made sandwiches for volunteers. Sherry Velante spent all 12 days organizing, searching, and staying positive. Jeff Dwyer, from Ebb Tide Stables, rode almost every day at least once and brought an extra horse for people to ride."
Thankfully, after two weeks of tireless searching, sharing, and posting, a few hikers finally found little Playdoh.
Crawford told LittleThings of getting the call, "The call was odd. I had been getting a lot of calls, some helpful and some just asking if I had found him. Also, I had been having some phone reception issues, so not all calls were ringing but, instead, going straight to voicemail.
"When my phone rang, I looked and it was a New Jersey number, which seemed odd to me and I thought about not answering it. When I did, the reception was bad and all I made out was Emily [Perryman] saying, 'We found your horse.'
“I walked over to Jeff Dwyer and his friend Shawn and told him that someone had called and they had Playdoh at the Woodstock Inn. I asked them if they knew how to get there. They said I was very calm. I think I just didn’t want to get my hopes up.
“The prior Saturday, the Police had called to say they had my horse and when we got there, it wasn’t him. That was gut-wrenching and made me try not to get too excited when I got the call.”
Thankfully, this time, the callers were correct. They had indeed found Playdoh.
Emily Perryman, Vlad Konstantinov, and David Sugar, had been hiking through the woods, when they spotted a scared horse, caught in his gear by a nearby tree.
Sugar wrote on Facebook, "All of his tack was still on. The rope going to his bite was tangled in a strap from the breast collar… and around his front right hoof pulling all of the tack very tight, causing it to cut into the top of his neck and chest on his front left leg.
"I had to cut the collar strap to release the pressure. He was pretty skittish when we first approached, but with some time, he allowed us to approach and help him out.
"The saddle was also twisted and hanging on his right side, also cutting into his back. Emily went to call Susan (no cell phone reception where we were) and when she came back we were able to walk Playdoh over to the Woodstock Inn where we met Susan (and others)."
How is Playdoh doing now?
Crawford told LittleThings, "He is doing very well.
"[Vet], Dr. Casey, came to the campground the first night and looked him over. His saddle had slipped onto his side, which caused his breast collar to gouge a big gash under his leg.
"We brought him home on Friday and his regular vet checked him out again.
"His wound is getting better each day and he will not have any ill effects from his adventure."
Crawford learned all sorts of valuable lessons from braving this lost pet experience.
She recommended to others fated to endure a trying loss like hers, "Post on social media immediately, call the local authorities, vets, humane society, and horse farms where they may have gone.
"Get someone to be a point person for you, as the response can be overwhelming."
Most important of all, "You have to keep going and hope that each day is bringing you one step closer to finding your pet. Carefully consider whose advice you want to accept!"
With time and care, Playdoh will surely be up and at 'em with friends.
Crawford was overcome by the enormous support her community stepped up to provide during this difficult experience.
She told LittleThings, "My friends were unbelievably supportive, coming long distances to search, calling to check in, and keeping my spirits up.
She continued, “When a large, diverse group of people can come together to search, send positive thoughts, bring food and offer support, it makes you realize that we are a caring community.
“It made me proud and it is a positive feeling I will cherish.”
After two tense weeks apart and unbelievable community support, horse and owner were finally reunited and gifted the priceless chance to continue living their lives together.
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