July 26 (UPI) -- Police and firefighters in Colorado ended up in an unusual high-speed chase when four horses escaped from a rodeo and went for a run on the interstate.
The Colorado State Patrol said a horse in a makeshift corral at the Eagle County Fairgrounds, which was hosting its annual fair and rodeo, knocked down a board helping to contain the animals. Four horses fled.
The horses took the Interstate 70 eastbound onramp and went running on the highway, where they were spotted by the Gypsum Fire Protection District's chief.
The chief followed the horses for 3 miles while the state police and the Eagle Police Department stopped traffic and joined in the chase.
Trooper Jacob Best said the chase lasted for about 20 to 30 minutes before the horses were safely loaded onto a trailer.
Best said the situation had been dangerous, but the pursuit was aided by a highway closure about 13 miles away from the starting point.
"I think our saving grace was that we didn't have a lot of traffic because of that canyon closure," Best told the Vail Daily. "No commercial motor vehicles."