MASON CITY ñ Whoa there! Was that a horse walking down the street Wednesday in the middle of Mason City? Yup.
By Joe Buttweiler.|
MASON CITY ñ Whoa there!
Was that a horse walking down the street Wednesday in the middle of Mason City?
Yup.
Just something to do on an otherwise boring afternoon, said TyAnne Schulte.
The 16-year-old Schulte, who lives a couple miles north of Wal-Mart on 285th Street, decided to ride her 5-year-old quarter horse Cowgirl into town for something to do.
They drew “a lot of points and jaws dropping and smiles,” said Schulte, stopping at 539 Fourth St. N.E. just before 6 p.m. to talk with Ron Ferch and his sons Dustyn, 8, and Connor, 5.
“I heard someone yell, ‘A horse!’ ‘’ Ron Ferch said, so he went to see what was going on.
And there they were.
Schulte said she gets a lot of requests from kids to pet Cowgirl.
Dustyn was up for that, gently patting Cowgirl’s shoulder as Schulte sat atop her.
“Horses have a lot of muscles,” the lad observed. “Look at how big her eyes are!”
Cars slowed down as they drove by. Kids going home from the nearby Mason City Aquatic Center walked by amused. Neighbors stood and stared.
Hey, how often do you see a horse standing around in the middle of town? Deer and dogs? Yes. But nary a horse.
Schulte said Wednesday’s journey was the fourth or fifth time in the past few years she’s ridden Cowgirl into town. They took Taft Avenue to 12th Street Northwest, then east for a while and then zigzagged their way toward East Park.
She said she tries to take the least-busy streets in the city. Police don’t seem to mind, she said.
Schulte said she thought she’d go through East Park and maybe stop at a friend’s house before going home.
Across the street and down the block, Jackie and Steve Miles and their kids and kids’ friends kept a close eye on the horse and rider. “The kids were like, ‘There’s a horse over there!’ “ Steve exclaimed.
“I like it. I want to keep it,” said 9-year-old Jordan Hempfner, 610 Fourth Ave. N.E.
Well, maybe they’ll be back again sometime.
TyAnne Schulte atop Cowgirl visits with pedestrians and neighbors in the 500 block of Fourth Street Northeast in Mason City on Wednesday evening.
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