Sinkholes can be a dangerous hazzard for both people and animals. Even an animal as large as a horse can get helplessly trapped in a sinkhole, and in some cases it can be deadly.
But thankfully, one horse is safe, thanks to the hard work of a rescue team who dug him out just in time.
According to a release from West Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service (WYFRS), a 27-year-old horse named Prince was let out of his stable at Calder Farm Equestrian, and was enjoying a walk through the field.
However, a stable hand soon noticed that Prince was nowhere to be seen. It was then discovered that the horse had become trapped in a sinkhole.
WYFRS was called to help, and had to act carefully so as not to harm the horse.
“We’ve had similar incidents in the past where cows have got stuck in sink holes and we do have the option of putting slings around them and lifting them out,” said technical rescue officer and station manager Damian Cameron. “However, we felt this could be dangerous for Prince and so we opted to dig him out instead.”
To keep the horse calm, vets put a head collar on the horse, covered his eyes and put cotton wool in his ears. “Once Prince was had been sedated, we started to work on getting him out and back to the surface,” Cameron said.
A local business called Chappelow Sports Turf lent an excavator, and they dug a sloping gradient where the horse could climb out.
“By that point his legs were a bit numb and he still had a bit of climbing to do, but he managed to get out fairly quickly – the whole rescue took less than an hour,” Cameron said.
“Prince was checked and thankfully recovered from his ordeal with no injuries – we were thrilled to be able to reunite Prince with his owner.”
Sinkholes can be caused by things like running water or old mines, WYFRS reported. But for the owners, and for Prince, this was a first time occurance.
“Because of his age we just ride him once a week, he is so calm and has never got in trouble before. We couldn’t believe it when he got stuck in the sink hole, it was in the middle of a field he goes into every day and there have never been any problems.”
Thankfully, disaster was averted thanks to the quick work of the fire & rescue service.
“The fire crews were absolutely amazing. I had no idea what to do and the crew came and took control, worked quickly and efficiently and were so good with Prince. I really can’t thank them enough. Prince has come out of it totally fine and is out on a different field today.”
Thank you to this fire and rescue team for saving Prince! So glad this beautiful horse is safe!
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