Firefighters, veterinarians, friends and neighbors helped with a challenging rescue of a horse stuck at the bottom of a ravine in heavy snow near Steamboat Springs this week.
Apparently the 15-year-old Palomino horse broke out of its paddock. The horse’s owners found the animal tangled in brush and immobilized by snow up to its chest.
Emergency responders considered fully anesthetizing the horse, then dragging it out with a truck, but, a veternarian decided against that action in case the horse was having issues related to seizure.
“The rescuing group worked together and dug a trench down the hill to the horse. Vets calmed the horse with medication, attached ropes and straps, and used the fire truck to coax it along.
Once the horse realized it could move, it went up the hill and out of the ravine.