Horse Illustrated Magazine

Does saving an 8-year-old boy from a grizzly bear count as a
stupid pet trick? It turns out it’s remarkable enough to earn a booking on late
night television.

Erin Bolster, a 25-year-old wrangler at Swan Mountain
Outfitters in Montana, and her 18-hand draft cross, Tonk, have been invited to
the Late Show after their brave rescue of a young boy. According to reports,
Bolster was leading a group on a routine, hour-long trail ride near Glacier
National Park when a deer ran past with a grizzly on its heels. As the horses
galloped away, the bear changed its target from the deer to the boy and his mount, Scout, who had bolted in a different direction from the rest of the group. Bolster turned Tonk around and yelled to get the bear’s
attention, which incited the bear to charge toward them and away from Scout.

Without hesitation, Bolster and Tonk charged back,
eventually deterring the bear. The boy fell off his horse, but none of the horses
or riders were harmed. Bolster and the boy rode back on Tonk, ponying Scout
until they returned to the group.

“My biggest hope is that the boy isn’t discouraged from
riding,” said Bolster in an interview with the Spokane, Wash. Spokesman-Review.
“This was a one-in-a-million event.”

Bolster, who has been riding since age four and previously
worked as a saddle seat riding instructor, has since purchased Tonk from the
company that had leased him to her employer.

Bolster was originally going to appear on the Late Show
alone on Oct. 5, but the producers wanted Tonk to share the spotlight, so her
appearance was pushed back. The pair are now scheduled to appear on The Late
Show on Tuesday, Oct. 11. The show airs at 11:30 pm Eastern Time on CBS.