The news is typically pretty hard to read when the words ‘horse,’ ‘truck’ and ‘crash’ are all used in the same story. Although, a curious item has hit the mainstream press this week, and it has made for a fantastic story for the horses involved.
As a story by Oregon’s Bend Bulletin explains, a local equine outreach program – conveniently called ‘Equine Outreach’ – was the unexpected recipient of no less than 44,000 pounds (22 tons) of carrots last week.
What? Why?
The Bend Bulletin report states that the carrots were being transported from Washington State to a processing plant in California last week when the truck that was hauling the load was involved in an accident. Due to the incident, the carrots were deemed unfit for human consumption and would’ve ended up in a landfill. The equine organization proved to be the perfect destination for the nutritious orange vegetables, as roughly 80 horses at the Bend outreach have been munching to their hearts’ content, and then some.
According to the article, Equine Outreach has also called on other horse owners to get in on the fun. There has apparently been a steady stream of animal owners making their way to the Bend outfit to haul away as many carrots as they can.
Equine Outreach’s operator, Joan Steelhammer, commented on the call she received that got the whole situation rolling. It’s safe to say the initial proposition kind of hit her like a bucket of water.
“When you get a call, ‘How’d you like 44,000 pounds of carrots?’ your mind kind of goes blank,” she was quoted as saying. “How much is that? What is that really?”
Well, apparently it is enough to fill a 53-foot semi-trailer somewhere between four and five feet deep.
(With files from the Bend Bulletin)
