The Nugget Newspaper - News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon

Two quarter horses belonging to rodeo contestants were killed when they got loose on Highway 20 and were struck by a semi-truck in the early hours of Friday, June 9.

According to Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office reports, deputies responded to the area of the Sisters Rodeo grounds at about 4:40 a.m. to a report of an accident involving a vehicle and two horses.

The sheriff’s office reported that an investigation concluded that an eastbound Pepsi Cola truck from the Mt. Angel Bottling Company stuck and killed two quarter horses in the middle of the highway. The horses and owners were there to participate in this weekend’s events at the Sisters Rodeo.

The investigation further concluded that three horses had escaped from a temporary holding pen adjacent to the owner’s vehicle and horse trailer.

The horses have an estimated value of $35,000 each, the sheriff’s office reported. The accident caused heavy damage to the commercial truck. None of the vehicle occupants were injured.