SOUTHWEST RANCHES, FLA. (WSVN) - Davie firefighters helped rescue a horse who found herself stuck in the muck at a ranch in Southwest Ranches.
Cellphone video captured a Davie firefighter putting a backboard into the water to hold up the head of 18-year-old Mooney.
“When we arrived, the horse was laying on its side, and its head was barely above water,” Davie Fire Rescue Battalion Chief Chris Abramczyk said. “We had specialized equipment coming in, and we positioned the battalion vehicle equipped with a winch to possibly exist in removing the horse from the muck.”
The roughly 1,800-pound Percheron thoroughbred had been missing from her area, and that’s when ranch workers called fire rescue.
Cellphone video shows Mooney struggling in the mucky water, but it turns out the firefighters did not need the extra equipment.
“Luckily, the horse stayed calm and was able to self-extricate, so all we did was keep it calm and keep its head above water, and she got herself out,” Abramczyk said.
Mooney was left with some cuts and bruises but is expected to be OK. Her owner said she has been treated with antibiotics.
“She’s a little banged up,” horse enthusiast Inna Horuzhik said. “The vet is on the way to look at her, but she was able to stay on her own four legs and make her way back into the barn. She walked fine, so all in all, very happy ending.”
Davie Fire Rescue officials said they train for this situation, and especially with the bad weather, they have rescued goats, alpacas and other livestock.
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