A 33-year-old horse is making headlines after emergency crews in Prince Edward Island were called in for a delicate rescue situation.
Reports indicate that a mare by the name of Shanty was able to escape her paddock on Wednesday night and found her way into her owner's backyard. She stepped on the edge of the in-ground pool, covered by a tie-down tarp, and fell in.
“It wasn’t too long into it when we realized we’re dealing with a horse that’s 33 years old,” firefighter Dean Smith of the North River Fire Department told CTV. “We went from a relaxed feeling that the horse is calming down, to a worried feeling because the horse was not responding very well.”
The fire crew was able to get some straps underneath the horse, who was also tangled up in the pool's tarp, and manually lifted the mare out some 15 minutes later. A few hours later, Shanty was able to make it back up onto all four legs and stand. A veterinarian checked out the mare, who was treated for hypothermia and minor scrapes.
After this encounter, the owner will be taking special precautions to make the pool horse-proof. It is, after all, the second time Shanty's had a near-death experience. She escaped her paddock a few years ago and fell through some ice into cold water.
“She ended up colicking, and we thought we were going to lose her. But she did manage to bounce back within about three days,” said owner Mike Arsenault. “Even last night, she looked much better. She was eating once we had her in the barn.”
Shanty up on her feet and receiving fluids through an IV (North River Fire Dept.)