Bus barn becomes temporary horse barn
 Conserving horsepower took on a whole new meaning for Metro early Monday morning, when employees at East Base in Bellevue came to the rescue of two lost horses.
Around 4 a.m., Bellevue Police officers responded to a call of horses wandering loose on Northup Way just south of State Route 520. The officers found them near the intersection of Northup and 124th Avenue Northeast, and needed a quick way to corral them before either the horses or an unsuspecting motorist was injured.
"Our officers diverted them into the first fenced-off area they could find, which was Metro’s bus base," said Bellevue Police Officer Michael Chiu.
Metro Supervisor Fred Olander said he had been alerted that horses were seen near East Base, yet was surprised to find them wandering up the driveway under the escort of four police cars. But being a long-time horse owner, Olander knew immediately what to do.
"Get me some rope," he told workers from Vehicle Maintenance.
 The VM crew found some rope used for the trolley poles, and Olander had soon fashioned it into lead ropes. By then, most of the buses at the base were ready to roll out for the morning commute, and everyone was worried the horses would be spooked.
"We set up a real barn in an empty bus bay in the maintenance area, and the horses were very calm," said Olander. "You could tell one was a former racehorse, and the other was either an English jumper or had girls in the family – because its mane was braided."
Two horse-owning bus drivers brought in some hay from home, and another ran to the store for carrots. Olander and VM Supervisor Jim Nale ended up babysitting the horses for about four hours until Animal Control arrived and took them to a horse sanctuary in Newcastle.
Chiu said the police later discovered the horses had wandered down from the Bridle Trails area on the other side of SR-520. The 18-year-old retired polo pony and a four-year-old retired race horse belong to a young girl who saved her allowance to buy the horses. By Monday afternoon, they were reunited with their owner.
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