Cochise's horse? Not!

During one of her afternoon rides Cindy had come upon some exposed bones and she was dying to find out what it was as it was definitely buried. (Cows are not awarded that respect here). Was it a mastodon? One had been dug up on the Willcox Playa nearby not all that long ago. Was it a pterodactyl? Was it Cochise's horse? After all the burial site was right in front of the Cochise Stronghold.


The weather turned colder today and this morning there were numerous snow flurries, but not enough to make anything stick on the valley floor. So this afternoon we decided to brave the wind, took a few tools with us and a model horse skeleton I have to help identify should it be a horse, and Emma. The Stronghold looked beautiful with the new snow.


Unfortunately, it looked like it had been a recent burial, or really hardly a burial at all. The animal had just been dumped in a sizable wash and dirt had been pushed over it. What was exposed was the neck where the head was attached to the spine, but we did not know that at first. It soon became apparent though, and Cindy recognized that it was a horse skeleton. We dug enough to get the spine down to the ribs and exposed most of the head. We had to acknowledge the shallowness of the site and had to dismiss the Cochise's horse theory. Someone probably was too lazy to dig a hole for his faithful steed and had rudely disposed of it.


We said we were sorry, and covered him back up.