Pool never gave up hope that she would one day be reunited with him. And now, thanks to the Internet and a good Samaritan, she is.
Pool said she posted Opie's photo everywhere after he went missing, including a website called www.netposse.com -- the site of a North Carolina-based nonprofit called Stolen Horse International. It cost her $25 for a lifetime online posting.
Della Braden of Dayton most recently owned the horse. She said that in November 2003 she was asked by her pastor to train the horse, which she called WarBonnet.
According to Braden, her pastor got the horse from a San Antonio family who claimed found him in the road. The pastor later gave him to her.
Della recently decided the time was right to sell the horse so he could be a blessing for another family. She posted his photo and information on Craigslist, an online classified advertisement service.
Deanna Bordelon of Pearland was in the market for a new horse and saw the posting. But before she made the purchase, she did some research. That's when she came across Pool's lifetime posting of Opie on the Stolen Horse International website.
Bordelon reported her discovery to the nonprofit and they alerted the Liberty County Sheriff's Office. LCSO deputies contacted Della and seized the horse.
Opie and Pool have since been reunited. She said she plans to use him to train other young girls to ride.
You can read more about this story in The Cleveland Advocate, one of our Houston Community Newspapers partners.
