Udder confusion: Cows flee cops on Marsha Sharp Freeway

Original story from Oct. 14, 2011

LUBBOCK, TX (KCBD) - Two cows caused a traffic jam Friday morning when they got loose on the Marsha Sharp Freeway.

The cows were being loaded up from the Texas Tech Animal and Food Sciences Center when they made a break for it. It took several police units working with ropers from the Texas Tech Ranch Horse Team to catch them both.

One cow was caught off the MSF between the Quaker Avenue and Slide Road exits. The other cow jumped through a real estate office window before being captured on 19th Street and Avenue Q.

VIRAL VIDEO: Texas Tech Ranch Horse Team helps catch escaped cows

After several people tried to catch the cows the Texas Tech Ranch Horse team was contacted to help with the capture.

“I was in class, taking real good notes paying attention and this guy busts through the door guess he saw my hat and he hollered at me to come running,” Texas Tech Ranch Horse team member, True Burson said.

“I was sitting in class and then I got this phone call saying there were two cows out on the highway,” Texas Tech Ranch Horse team member, Parke Greeson said.

“There was about 50 people running then the cattle got crazy so I said we better go get a horse,” Burson said.

After a one-hour chase, the first cow was captured off the Marsha Sharp Freeway. Students roped the cow from the back of a Toyota pickup.

“This was better than TV, I guarantee you that,” Greeson said.

The team said the chase became intense when the other cow took off on a busy road near Ave Q and 19th Street. Karen Nichols was sitting in her real estate office at the intersection when she heard sirens outside.

“The police blocked the road off, then there were three or four guys on horses and a cow came across the road,” Nichols said.

“I got real nervous when the cow shattered the glass and the woman was sitting just on the other side,” Paye Beedy explained.

“I ran into another office and I panicked cause I thought it was in the building,” Nichols said.

Luckily, the cow took off behind the building into a grassy area off Ave Q and 19th street where the team was able to catch it.

“It’s a little nerve-wracking when you get to going pretty fast on that pavement because the cows weigh about 1200 pounds and they can just take your horse out from underneath you,” Burson explained.

It took a two and a half hours to catch both cows, but the Texas Tech Ranch Horse members say it was all worth it.

“This is what we do,” Texas Tech Ranch Horse Team member Spencer Perkins said.

“On a scale from 1 to 10, the level of excitement was an 11,” Greeson said. “It’s all a day in the life of a Texas tech ranch horse team member.”

The cows were taken back to the livestock center in New Deal and no one was hurt. Texas Tech says they are looking into how the cows escaped.

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