Rescue crews came to the rescue of a horse that nearly drowned after getting stuck in a mud pit. The animal was one of several horses rescued from the mud pit in just a few days time.
Betty Nixon of Friends of the Heber Wild Horses explained that she came across the mare that needed help.
"Need help. Mare drowning in mud," she recalled in a Facebook post. " How many does the Forest Service want to have drown in mud?!!! Enough is Enough! The Forest Service needs to allow water hauling! Water is being delivered to every other living thing in the forest EXCEPT for the horses! Watch the video! Is this what the U.S. Forest Service and the U.S. Department of Agriculture want for our federally protected Heber Wild Horses?"
The conversationalist used tow ropes to help haul the foal and mother horse out of the mud. Nixon explained that a drought has caused the mud pit, which is a hazard to wild horses and animals.
Horse Stuck In Mud Pit
"Seven of us worked together for over an hour to get the mare out of the mud while her foal called to her from the bank," Nixon wrote in the post. "She was exhausted from struggling, but we worked slowly and patiently with her to get her out without injuring her, allowing her time to rest between efforts."
"I can't begin to tell you how impressed I was with how well everyone worked together as a team. It truly was a cooperative effort to pull off an amazing rescue," Nixon also wrote.
In an update on the mud pit, Nixo later explained, "The Forest Service is allowing us to put water troughs on the "safe" end of the dirt tank where the ground is more stable, drawing the horses away from the area with the deep mud. We are truly grateful for this concession from the Forest Service. As long as there is water in the dirt tank, the horses will come there, so the water troughs will help draw them to the "safest" spot for water. It's not a guarantee, but it is helping as we have witnessed. We are not out of the woods on this, and danger still exists! Once all the water is out of the dirt tank, the troughs will be removed."
