Owners of horses and, indeed, all animals, would often do anything to protect their pets, give them the best life possible and find them if they’re lost.

That’s what happened to a horse owner this week when her mare, Bella, spooked, threw her off and disappeared into the woods in a rural area.

After being missing for more than 50 hours, Bella was found not far from where she had disappeared.

The fact that a missing horse was found, however, wasn’t what was impressive — it is a horse, after all, and not as easily hidden as a dog or cat.

The impressive part of the search was how many volunteers turned out on foot, on horseback, and even using aircraft to search the woods and clearings near the area where Bella disappeared.

Indeed, Bella was found by a volunteer searcher. She had scratches, ticks and thorns and was dehydrated, but was found in time to avoid serious injury.

It’s been said before that Suffolk residents always pull together to help each other, whether in times of great tragedy, as in the aftermath of the 2008 tornado, or in times of personal need.

In the case of the lost horse, the owner was suffering from her loss, but it could have been a community tragedy as well. Searchers prayed the horse would not show up on any of several nearby busy roads and cause an accident, which would also injure or kill the horse.

So it’s perhaps not surprising that a group of folks came together to help the owner find her lost horse. As with so many things where people help each other, this one had a happy ending.