Bear Meets Horse; Horse Wins

Don't mess with Tonk, a ten year old wonder horse who put himself between a grizzlie and an eight year old bear. Guess who won? Hint: not the grizzlie.

This all happened in Glacier National Park, where Erin Bolster, a trail guide, was leading a routine hour long trail ride through the forest. The youngest in the group was an eight year old boy riding Scout. Bolster was aboard Tonk, a very large horse that the outfitting organization leases from a stable in Wyoming every year.

The ride started out routinely until the group came around a corner and Tonk refused to move. All of a sudden a deer leaped out of the bushes being followed closely by a huge bear. Half the riders turned their horses around and headed back to the stable at a fast clip. But Scout, on which the eight year old boy was perched, followed the deer. The bear now followed the horse on which a very inexperienced rider clung for dear life.

Bolster gave Tonk a nudge with her heels and he took off, wedging himself between the bear and Scout. The bear charged and Tonk charged right back.

"I had no hesitation, honestly," said Bolster who kicked tonk into action. "Nothing in my body was going to let that little boy get hurt by the bear. That wasn't an option."

And apparently it wasn't for Tonk either who convinced the bear to head in another direction, but not before the bear came within ten feet of him. Bolster scooped up the boy, who by this time had fallen off his horse, grabbed Scout's reins and led everyone to safety. It wasn't until they reunited with their group that she noticed her horse, the boy and the boys father were all in shock.

It all turned out fine in the end, especially for Tonk. "Two weeks ago, I closed the deal and bought him," Bolster said as she was wrapping up her 2011 wrangling season. "After what he did that day, he had to be mine."