Group saves horse from mud
Blind horse rescued after falling in hole
THE eagle-eyes of a passer-by saved an old horse from a desperate situation at the weekend.
The horse had become stuck in a deep, muddy hole on a property at Dalveen, near Warwick, when he was spotted by resident Jo Harmer.
“At about 3pm on Saturday I was driving on Granite Belt Dr when I noticed two legs making a funny movement behind a shed on a property,” she said.
“As I was doing 100kmh at the time I was unsure what I’d seen but knew it didn’t look right.
“So I went back to find the gorgeous 23-year-old gelding, who is completely blind, stuck in a hole.”
Ms Harmer knew the owner and called her immediately but was unable to get hold of anyone.
“Then I called some locals and six of them showed up to help,” she said.
“We knew he was in a bad
way so then I called emergency services.
“I kept him calm as he was so scared.
“At one stage he closed his eyes and his head fell to the side, so we pulled his head back up and I kept rubbing it to keep him with us.
“He licked my hand as if to say thank you.”
Ms Harmer said the fire fighters then placed hoses under the horse to keep the animal from sinking further.
“They were digging around the horse as well, but he kept sinking,” she said.
“Then one of the local guys went and got his truck, which had a hydraulic lift and that was used to lift the horse out.”
Stanthorpe fire captain Ian Barnden said three units attended the rescue.
“The people who own the property had just installed a septic tank and had back-filled the hole but after the rain we’d got, it was full of muddy water,” he said.
“The horse got its hind legs stuck and was unable to get out.
“After we got on scene, we worked to dig enough away to get straps under the horse and were then able to lift it out. It took about an hour to free the animal.”
The horse’s owner Belinda Bradshaw had gone out for the day when she received a call from Ms Harmer.
“I’ve had Cochise for 19 years,” she said.
“He’s a beautiful Appaloosa who has been blind for six years.
“All my now grown-up kids learnt to ride on him. He’s a part of the family and I’m so grateful to everyone who helped save him on Saturday.”
Ms Bradshaw said Cochise was recovering well.
“I had put a barrier around the new tank but clearly it wasn’t enough,” she said.
“I think he knows he dodged a bullet.
“I’ve known Jo for a while through our love of horses and she was calling me throughout the rescue effort.
“It’s a miracle. A lot of people would have kept on driving past, but not Jo.
“We would have lost him without her.
“Poor old Cochise was completely caked in mud but I made sure I cleaned up him and gave him a proper grooming, which of course he absolutely loved.”