Early in the morning of March 2014, my horse Mongo, who was 10 years old at the time, ran off with a group of mustangs whilst I was camping in the desert. I was devastated.
I remember looking out of my tent and seeing Mongo running off with this group of wild horses. I quickly got dressed and ran outside to chase after him, but he was gone. At the time, I lived in Hooper City, Utah, but I had gone camping in the desert in Utah. It snowed six inches that day and I spent the whole day looking for Mongo in an old vehicle that I had, but there was no luck.
I was looking everywhere trying to figure out where Mongo had gone. When I realized that he may not come back, I was completely heartbroken because he was a horse that people would only dream of having. Mongo was always a remarkable horse; he's half American quarter horse and half Percheron. Before he went missing, I rode him in the mountains every weekend and on some weekdays.
Searching for Mongo
The following morning, I continued my search for Mongo. I drove all the way to Salt Lake, Utah to look for him, but I still couldn't find him. When I arrived home, my then-wife looked at me and said, "Where's Mongo?" She loved him so much. She's typically not a horse person, but Mongo was special to her.
I sadly had to tell her, "Mongo got loose and ran away with the mustangs, but we're going to catch him, we'll get him back." That day, I called many people and posted a missing person advertisement on various websites. The following weekend, I planned a search party for Mongo. Many of my friends, family, and strangers searched around Utah for him. People went out on dirt bikes, horses and vehicles, and we still could not find him anywhere. I was heartbroken.
My children also loved Mongo dearly. My little girl was a baby when we lost him and my son was only two and a half years old. He'd always tell me, "Dad, look for Mongo in the mountains." He'd also sing songs saying, "Dad look for Mongo in the mountains, he ran off with the mustangs."
Finding Mongo
By 2017, I had lost hope of ever finding Mongo again. I had spoken to the Bureau of Land Management and they hadn't found him. I had also searched for him a few more times and had no luck. At that point, I thought he may have been dead.
Then on September 28, 2022, I received a shocking message. I was scrolling through my phone and I saw an email from a lady who said that she had found Mongo. She sent me her phone number and I called her immediately. I was in shock.
The next day, I was up at 6 a.m. ready to go and get him. He was located four hours away from my house at a holding facility for mustangs; a place where people would adopt these wild horses from.
As soon as I saw him from a distance when I got there, I thought: Oh my gosh, that's him. I couldn't believe my eyes. To my surprise, Mongo remembered me; he was calm around me. He looked the exact same, but I was upset because he wasn't the physically well animal that I had owned before; he was so skinny. But it was amazing to see him, it was heartwarming. He walked to the trailer, which was reassuring because it meant that he was healthy.
I drove with Mongo straight to my kids, who live in Salt Lake City.
As soon as I approached my children, my little girl looked in the trailer, and she immediately knew that Mongo was in it. She began yelling, "Whoa, that's Mongo, that's Mongo!" I said to her, "Are you sure about that?" and she said, "Yeah, I know it's mongo!"
So, I opened the door and he walked out towards her. She grabbed him by the side of the face and gave him a big kiss.
Since Mongo got back to my ranch, he's been eating well. He's funny because he walks out and makes noises to tell me that he's hungry. Even when I feed him, he sometimes still makes noises. Mongo's little pony friend even recognized him the moment he arrived; it was nice to see.
Currently, I'm focused on getting Mongo's weight back to how it used to be. Then, I will be able to ride him. I feel grateful to see Mongo every morning, he is the most beautiful animal I've ever seen. I don't go to the desert anymore so Mongo won't be running away with mustangs again.
He's funny, and despite what he's been through, he still has his special way of being the center of attention.
Shane Adams is Mongo's horse owner. He lives in Utah and uses his TikTok to share his story. You can find out more about him here.
All views expressed in this article are the author's own.
As told to Newsweek associate editor, Carine Harb.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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