At 12:15am on March 15th, during the height of the massive blizzard that buried Colorado in snow, Brad Langerak, the DoCR Vice President was contacted by a ranch owner friend desperate for help to rescue his horse that was stranded in snow up to the nape of its neck in the north side of Castle Rock.
Brad immediately reached out to Robert Zearing, the DoCR President to send out a call for action to any dads who were able to help with the rescue. Within minutes, dozens of dads responded to help.
In under an hour, several dads convoyed out, powering through the relentless blizzard to meet up with the ranch owner. Another local ranch owner used his small tractor to clear a path to the stranded horse, while the ranch owner used his large tractor to clear the road to his barn.
With shovels in hand, the dads, spouses, and son of one of the ranchers feverishly shoveled snow away from the freezing horse, ignoring the searing pain from the cold. Snow continued to accumulate with each pile of snow shoveled away from the horse.
When the road to the barn was clear, the ranch owner brought hay for the horse to eat, giving it the energy to survive its freezing captor. The increased movement from the horse provided extra motivation for the dads and ranchers to endure the bite of the freezing cold.
For seven hours, the dads and ranchers dug as hard and as fast as they could through the unyielding blizzard until the horse was finally freed. The rancher slowly led the tired and freezing horse into a trailer and took him into the barn to a warm stall with a bale of hay.
Once inside, the horse lied down on its side from exhaustion and rested its head on the warm bed of hay, allowing the team of hero’s circle around him to celebrate their accomplishment. After several days of monitoring and healing, the horse made a full recovery and is happy and healthy.
When the Vice President of the Dads of Castle Rock put out a call for help, the dads come out in force.
Robert Zearing, President of the Dads of Castle Rock
None of the dads except for Brad new the rancher, yet they answered the call for help on a moments notice, knowing they would test the limits of their bodies and spirit. These acts of selflessness and spirit of community, even during extreme conditions, personify what the Dads of Castle Rock represent.
