Brandon Twp – When it comes to rescuing animals the Brandon Fire Department has plenty of experience, but for the firefighters who pulled a 1,000-pound horse from the mud, the rescue was exceptional.
“This was sort of a horse of a different color, so to speak,” said fire chief Bob McArthur.
“We’ve rescued ducks and raccoons out of chimneys, and cats out of duct work,” said McArthur, “but this was the most spectacular because of the size of the animal.”
On Sunday, with the aid of a truck, a winch, and veterinarian Kathy Connell, a team of firefighters worked for over 40 minutes to safely free “Cupcake” the half-ton Morgan horse, who was stuck up to his neck in muck.
While two of the men plunged into the mud to place straps around the horse, said McArthur, the rest of the team kept a watchful eye on the horse to make sure everything was all right, from all sides.
Confident the horse was not showing signs of exhaustion, exposure, or shock, Connell elected not to tranquilize the horse before dragging his limp body from the mud.
Once the straps were secure the horse was extracted with the use of a wench attached to a fire truck.
“The vet told us good anchor points to put the straps,” said firefighter Steve Papas. “While we were still in the mud we put the strap around him, hooked it to a winch and just slid him out—up the bank.”
Property owner Martha Shaver said she has no idea how the horse ended up in the mire or how long he had been stuck there, but immediately called 911 after she saw him stuck up to his neck.
“I didn’t know what to do, it was a difficult situation and the horse looked pretty tired,” said Shaver.
“When the vet arrived she figured (due to the horse’s behavior) he had only been there during the morning.”
Although the horse was “stuck pretty good” the horse appeared stable and removing him went smoothly, said Connell.
“He was stuck in there pretty good but we all worked together and with the fire department manpower he came out pretty easily,” Connell said.
“We didn’t have to sedate and he was perfectly fine, when he got out he just popped right to his feet.”
Not knowing what was underneath the mud, Connell’s primary concerns were cuts, punctures, or signs of muscle strain. A thorough on-site exam of Cupcake assured the vet he had fared the incident with no injuries.
Shaver, who has owned horses for nearly a decade, said although the horse belonged to her sister, Cupcake had been boarding at her stable on and off for about five years. Both the Morgan and Shaver’s horse are familiar with the muddy area where a pond once flowed, however the pond is drying up, creating the mire.
Knowing that both horses have ample water and are not prone to walking in unstable territory, Shaver said she has no idea what Cupcake was thinking when he went into the muddy marsh.
“It’s definitely bizarre and was no fun,” said Shaver.
“Usually they don’t go down there so I don’t know what he was thinking, but I don’t think he’ll go there again,” she said, chuckling.
Both Shaver and Connell said thanks to the rescue efforts of everyone, the horse is fine.