This Is Why You Should Always Wear A Belt and Carry Peppermints...

Keep 'em handy at all times!

In today's Holy Crap! news, a Boston, Massachusetts area train dispatcher went above and beyond her normal duties when she left her post to chase a horse that was galloping near the commuter rail tracks.

Yep, you read that one correctly.  The horse was galloping near the commuter rail tracks.

Train dispatcher Paula Nicholas saw the horse and began chasing it.  Nicholas told a reporter for the Boston.com metrodesk that the horse stopped, and Nicholas was then able to use some peppermints she had in her pocket to catch the mare. She then wound her belt around the equine escapee and escorted the horse off of the tracks.


Luckily, the oncoming saw the commotion and train was able to slow down.  Commuters were only delayed 11 minutes.

Seems Nicholas is used to chasing horses, as she has one of her own.  That would explain the peppermints in her pocket.  Bet she wasn't expecting to have to catch a recalcitrant equine during her day job, though.   The report says the mare in question is none the worse for wear and is waiting in a nearby barn for her owner to come get her.

Nice job, Paula!