The Rescue of Belle and Sundance One Town's Incredible Race to Save Two Abandoned Horses

In December 2008, snowmobilers spot two abandoned horses high in the Canadian Rockies. Starving and frostbitten, the horses have trampled the ten-foot-deep snow into a narrow white prison. Those who reach them bring hay but also a gun, in case the horses are too far gone. A glint of life in the horses' eyes earns them the hay. The harrowing yet inspiring story of their near impossible rescue--involving the volunteer efforts of an entire village, first the excavation of a trench six feet deep and over 3280 feet long, and then a nearly 20 mile descent at negative 40 degrees--is sure to be read in one breathless sitting.

Birgit Stutz is a journalist, horse trainer, and riding instructor. She lives on a ranch in the Canadian Rockies.

Lawrence Scanlan, author of The Horse God Built: The Untold Story of Secretariat, the World's Greatest Racehorse, lives in Kingston, Ontario.