DELTA COUNTY, Colo. (KREX) – Cayley Odell is a rancher and proud horse mom at Western States Ranches in Delta County. On September 18th, she and her boyfriend, Kenyon, rode out to run cows in Hanks Valley. When she called the horses back to camp for dinner time, her beloved horse, EZ, was nowhere to be found.

“EZ is always, always, always the first one into grain,” says Odell. “He is my lovey lush, and he loves grain. So when he didn’t come in, I knew something was wrong. I just had this ache in my chest.”

She and Kenyon leapt on their horses to search for him. When they found EZ, to their horror, he had been shot through the neck. Cayley tells WesternSlopeNow she had no idea if he was going to live and rushed him to the hospital just in time. The bullet, according to Cayley, shot all the way through his neck and out his right side, inches away from his spine. Just two inches more, she says, and the injury would likely have ended his life.

Miraculously, the good natured four-year-old (named EZ for his easy-going personality) is expected to make a full recovery. But questions still remain — who shot EZ? And why have they not come forward? For the person responsible, his mother has a message.

“You had the opportunity to call anonymously,” says Cayley. “You could have told somebody about it, and you made a choice not to. To make a mistake is one thing, but own your mistake. Make it right, be an adult, and be a decent human being.”

Montrose Regional Crime Stoppers is offering a $1,000 cash reward for any lead on the shooter that results in an arrest. You can call their tip line anonymously at: 970-249-8500.