A Couple Of Horses Were Running Around The 401 This Morning & OPP Had To Escort Them Off

The highway is probably not the best spot for some horsin' around.🐎

Ontario Provincial Police escorting the horses off the 401.

Ontario Provincial Police escorting the horses off the 401.

Toronto Associate Editor

These two horses really did "stirrup" some trouble this morning on the 401 (so, maybe they're actually named Bonnie and Clydesdale).

On Friday, June 17, at around 5:45 a.m., Ontario Provincial Police officers with the Quinte West detachment shared in a press release that they were called down to Highway 401 westbound near Glen Miller Road after getting reports that a couple of horses were galloping across the highway and drivers had to swerve by them to avoid hitting the animals.

In order to corral the horses off the highway, a transport truck driver had helped police lasso them in by cutting the horses off on the road. That's when officers were able to grab hold of the horses by using "rescue rope" from their vehicles, according to the press release.

Police escorted the horses down to the 401 westbound ONroute, where they waited for a few hours up until 8:45 a.m. when their owner could get there to pick them up.

The horses didn't suffer any injuries from their highway escapades, according to provincial police, and the highway was closed off for a short period of time.

If drivers should ever find themselves going down a highway with an animal in the middle of the road, the Wildlife Collision Prevention Program recommends slowing down and preparing for any kind of unexpected behaviour. They also recommend looking at where the animal is going, but if a crash is inevitable, try to go for the spot where the animal is coming from and not where it's heading to.

Narcity reached out to the Quinte West Detachment for additional comment but didn't hear back in time before this article was published.

  • Toronto Associate EditorAlex Arsenych (she/her) was a Calgary-based Associate Editor at Narcity Canada, covering everything from what's trending across the country to what's happening near you. On top of her Bachelor of Journalism, Alex graduated with a history degree from the University of Toronto. She's passionate about past and present events and how they shape our world. Alex has been published at Now Magazine, Much, MTV, and MTV Canada.

CRA offers automatic tax filing and it could help 'put more money in your pocket'

You could be eligible for the service without even knowing it.

A meteor in Vancouver last night caused a giant fireball & sonic boom (VIDEO)

The sonic boom was strong enough to register on seismographs. ☄️

Mark Carney says Canada's support for US strikes on Iran came 'with regret'

He also said the strikes appeared "inconsistent with international law."

I grew up in Vancouver — here's what other Canadians will never understand about us

If you get these, you're officially Vancouver-verified. ✅

A dessert product sold at Costco has been recalled and you can get a full refund

Some ingredients could cause "potentially life-threatening" reactions.

Daughter of a Canadian woman killed in the Dominican bus crash still has no info on her dad

She first learned of the crash from her uncle, who was also on the bus.

BC's switch to permanent daylight saving time could cause chaos in some areas

From 10 a.m. sunrises to confusing time zone borders, here's why the move has some residents concerned.