A horse named Lucky lived up to his name when he was rescued from a muddy sinkhole in California that had swallowed him up to his neck.
Startling images show a 20-year-old Paso Fino stuck in a narrow hole with almost his entire body trapped in the San Fernando Valley on Wednesday.
More than 60 firefighters and rescue workers took three hours to finally pull the 1,200-pound horse to safety. Miraculously, Lucky was able to trot away with only minor injuries.
Lucky’s owner, Maria Lastre, was riding her horse in her backyard when the ground suddenly gave way and the horse was sucked into the soft dirt.
“I thought she tripped on the sidewalk and fell on her front foot,” said Maria’s husband, Juan Lastre. he told KTLA. “But my wife collapsed.” [Lucky]. She put her foot in this hole and she just sank down, getting deeper and deeper. ”
Maria got off Lucky and reached safety, but the mare was trapped in the sinkhole, with only her head and neck sticking out of the mud.
After unsuccessfully trying to free Lucky on his own, Luster called for help. Approximately 61 firefighters, animal services personnel and health department personnel rushed to the scene with an excavator in tow.
“We were very careful at first with shovels, but that wasn’t enough, so we brought in heavy equipment with buckets,” said Los Angeles Fire Department Capt. Eric Scott.
Scott added that Lucky was “tired” and firefighters were trying to calm her down.
First responders built a trench to prevent soil they had dug from backing up into the sinkhole where Lucky was showing signs of distress.
After three hours of painstaking digging, rescuers were able to harness the exhausted horse and pull him out of the hole.
Lucky trotted away from the harrowing ordeal with mud up to his neck and cuts on his legs, but his owner said it could have been much worse.
“She was there for three hours in cramped conditions and I thought she wasn’t going to be able to walk,” Lastre said. “But I couldn’t believe it. She’s eating, which is a good sign, and she’s walking. There was no damage to her leg.”
Lucky was then bathed and returned to the stables to rest and enjoy carrots. He will continue to recuperate over the next few days and is expected to be back in the saddle sometime next week.
Maria Lastre, who was riding Lucky at the time of the disaster, was struck by the horn of the saddle, injuring her chest and feeling pain.
Juan Lastre said heavy rains that hit the San Fernando Valley in recent days and broken pipes may have caused the sinkhole to expand.
