CLINTON, CT — Clinton authorities sprung into action Tuesday morning after a call from a local resident whose horse was stuck in a frozen swamp, according to the Clinton Volunteer Fire Department.
Emergency responders plus an animal response team and a horse veterinarian arrived around 10 a.m. at a marsh just north of the barn, where the 5-year-old horse had spooked and gone through a wooden fence and into the water, officials said.
Rescuers waded into the frigid water to reach the horse as it lay about 200 feet from shore in three to four feet of muddy water, officials said.
The team blazed a path from the shore into the marsh using sheets of plywood and rubber stable mats, with eight members standing in the water to help guide the horse through the mud and weeds.
“Using soft slings and a rope system, the horse was carefully slid a few feet at a time,” according to officials.
The horse then collapsed from exhaustion 20 feet from shore, officials said.
The animal response team helped the horse back to its feet and then escorted it to the barn, where nearly a dozen members treated the horse for just over two hours.
No injuries were reported and the rescue was deemed successful, officials said.
