Frantic horses fall into Montana pond, and team of rescuers rushes to help
It took a team of first responders, farm staff, and the help of some neighbors to pull four horses out of an icy pond in Montana, authorities said.
The young horses had been playing near or perhaps on the ice and fell through, one of the owners told NBC Montana. The equines were in the frigid water for about three hours on Monday, Dec. 5, and it took crews about half an hour to pull each of them out, she told the outlet.
“It was an amazing day, the community really pulled together for this one. Neighbors, first responders, police, ranch employees,” Alexis Langlois told the outlet.
Multiple news outlets shared video of the dramatic rescue. It shows a team of people around the pond with sticks to yank the horses from the muddy bank. One horse has a rope secured to its leg, attached to a tractor off screen for leverage. The sound of the tractor’s engine revving competes with horses frantically neighing to each other both from the pond and near the tractor.
It happened near Patrick Creek, South Kalispell Fire Department said on Facebook. Langlois shared a photo of the rescue in the comments.
Kalispell is about 120 miles north of Missoula.
“Through the cooperative efforts of fire department responders, FCSO animal control officers, Rebecca Farm staff and many neighbors, all 4 horses were successfully rescued from the pond and transported for veterinary care,” the fire department wrote on Facebook.
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