In a heartwarming rescue operation in New York State, United States, a horse weighing hundreds of kilograms accidentally fell into a frozen pond recently. Fortunately, with the collective efforts of police and rescue personnel, the horse was promptly rescued from the icy waters.
According to the report by the Associated Press, the incident occurred on February 24 in Saratoga Springs, New York. Local police rushed to a frozen pond in response to a report, where a 1,300-pound (590 kg) horse had fallen into an ice hole.
The horse named Sly, a 22-year-old Quarter Horse owned by local resident Ali Ernst, was involved in the incident. Ernst, upon returning home from work that afternoon, saw Sly playing with two other horses on the pond, which was not an uncommon sight. However, when she looked out again from her house, she noticed Sly had already fallen into the ice hole.
As Ernst ran towards the ice hole, she kept calling for help and then grabbed Sly’s reins to make the horse lift its head and wait for rescue. Rescue personnel, including police officers, then used ropes to their fullest extent to pull Sly out of the ice hole.
Footage captured by a camera worn by one of the police officers on the scene showed Sly’s front legs flailing around as rescue personnel shouted, “One, two, three, pull!” and “Come on, baby. We got you!”
Officer Kyle Clinton was the first to arrive at the scene and helped Ernst pull Sly’s entire head onto the ice. Other individuals, including two other officers, Ernst’s neighbors, and family members, quickly joined the rescue efforts.
Ernst mentioned that initially a rope was tied around Sly’s reins near the head. Eventually, this group of about nine rescue personnel secured Sly with three ropes.
Just a few minutes after the rescue team pulled Sly out of the icy water, the horse managed to stand up. Sly was later taken to the Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital for treatment, where Ernst works as a technician.
Ernst shared that Sly initially had low body temperature, but after two days of treatment, the horse had recovered and returned home. However, a electric fence has now been installed around the pond, preventing Sly from playing on the ice again.