Crossroads Ranch

10/16/2026

When Kismet stops and looks into the woods, I want to know what she’s looking at. Did she hear something? Smell something? See something I missed? I’m going to pay attention, but I’m also going to ask what happened before she stopped, what she did while we were there, and what happened after we moved on.

I ask those same questions in homicide investigations because behavior needs context. If we find something near where a horse reacted, we need to document the whole sequence before deciding what that reaction meant. We can recognize that the horse contributed to the search without claiming we know exactly what she detected.

This week in The Equine Investigator, we’re continuing our fall series, “The Horse Knows Something,” with “What Can a Horse Actually Detect?” The link is in the comments. Come read it and tell me about a time your horse noticed something before you did.
-Doc & Kismet

Read on our website! Link in the comments!

10/12/2026

Second Article in our Fall 2026 Mounted Forensic Operations Blog Series is "The Horse Stopped". This is a big deal. Years ago, I was galloping into an area when my horse, Deja, just all of a sudden stopped. Why? I didn't see anything. I couldn't hear anything. What happened? What changed.

Then I saw it. Off in the distance was a mountain lion. Deja was snorting and blowing and pawing the ground. I didn't know if I should run or stand still. The mountain lion ran off. Whew!

These are real things that can happen to mounted forensic operations volunteers and officers in real life at any time.

Read the article at LauraPettler.com | The Equine Investigator Blog.

https://laurapettler.com/the-equine-investigator/2026/9/26/the-horse-stopped

When a horse stops during a mounted search, the rider should examine the terrain, the horse, and their own actions before deciding what the behavior means.

10/03/2026

This fall, we’re taking XR's blog, The Equine Investigator, into the woods to and follow the trail of the questions that connect horses, mounted searches, and forensic investigation.

Dr. Laura Pettler brings equine behavior and forensic investigation together through nine articles running alongside The Briefing Room’s fall Search and Rescue series.

We opened with “The Horse Just Spooked.” This week, we’re asking you to take a step back: How well do you know the horse beneath you?

Read “Know Your Horse Before You Read Your Horse” at the link below, and follow along with us this fall.

A search horse’s behavior has meaning only in context. Learn why knowing the individual horse’s normal behavior matters during a mounted search.

09/28/2026

“The horse just spooked because a mouse started moving in the woods a mile away.”

I laughed when I heard that joke. If you’ve spent time around horses, you probably did too. But it raises a question I ask in homicide investigations: We saw what happened. Do we know what caused it?

When a horse spooks, I want to know what happened before, during, and after. I ask those same questions when examining a death. The most dramatic moment gets everyone’s attention, but it’s rarely the whole story.

In my new article for The Equine Investigator, I explore what a spooking horse can teach us about observing behavior, testing assumptions, and following the evidence.

From the Trail of Truth,
Dr. Laura

Read the article: https://laurapettler.com/the-equine-investigator/2026/9/26/the-horse-just-spooked

09/27/2026

Search and rescue and search and recovery are about the victim. Check out this article about the interesting connection between Lost Person Behavioral psychology and Forensic Victimology we use in investigations.

Discover how Lost Person Behavior and Pettler's Research-Based Forensic Victimology inform missing-person searches, death investigations, and forensic operations. Copy meta description

09/26/2026

10,000 of you are riding along with us.

When we started sharing life at XR Crossroads Ranch, the only True Crime Horse farm in America, home of True Crime & Equines, Forensic Horsemanship, The Equine Investigator Blog, Saddled in Secrets Podcast and Laura Pettler & Associates Death Investigations new Mounted Forensic Operations System, we hoped people would connect with the horses, the true crime stories, and the unexpected turns along the trail. We didn’t imagine 10,000 people would pull up a chair at the barn.

Thank you for cheering on our horses, following our adventures, asking thoughtful questions, and being here for the muddy days as well as the beautiful ones. You’ve made this little corner of the internet feel like a community, the XR family.

If you’re new here, welcome to XR, where every trail leads to the truth. There’s always another true crime story around the bend, and we're glad you’re riding for truth with us.

Tell us in the comments: what first brought you to the ranch page?

07/24/2026

Crossroads Ranch and its upcoming Saddled in Secrets is a proud sponsor of the Union County Saddle Club's Equind Emergency Training event.

07/21/2026

Lots of people ask about NASAR’s nationally recognized certification program. NASAR BOD explains below.

07/12/2026

07/11/2026

Who agrees? Some horses change your plans. Others change your life. Aegon is my everything.

He reminds me that healing doesn’t always happen all at once. Sometimes it looks like quiet moments, soft nickers, muddy boots, and choosing joy again when barn life has been heavy.

After everything this year, these moments mean more than I can put into words. 💙