Apr 12, 2007 7:45 pm US/Central
Horse Rescued After Getting Stuck In Mud
NEAR DAWSON (AP) ―
A horse mired up its belly in a mud hole was freed Thursday afternoon in an hours-long rescue effort that included heavy equipment.
Live television overage showed the horse - named "Champ" - was able to stand on its own after being hauled from the muck.
Click here to watch raw Chopper 11 video of the rescue. TV coverage showed a backhoe hauling away buckets of mud as neighbors and other volunteers tried to ease the exhausted animal out.
"It was like quicksand out here," Jeff Radabaugh, owner of the 1,200 pound horse, told the Corsicana Daily Sun. "We dug until we couldn't dig anymore."
He said the horse was one of two that became stuck in the muddy creek bed Thursday morning. Radabaugh said he was able to get the other horse out fine but Champ wouldn't budge.
After calling 911, firefighters and other rescue crews arrived to help. A backhoe was eventually brought in to haul away buckets of mud while neighbors and other volunteers tried to ease the exhausted animal out.
A veterinarian and police were on hand to assist with efforts to free the animal, which appeared to be nearly on its side as it struggled to get out.
Rescuers also were more than knee-deep in the mud as they were seen trying to tried to calm the haltered horse.
Ropes and straps eventually were put around the horse to lift it out of the mud.
Dawson is about 65 miles south of Dallas.
(© 2007 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
