Rescuers find ‘exhausted’ horse trapped in muddy riverbed — and fly him back to owner
A horse was stranded in a muddy California riverbed overnight, and when rescuers arrived he was “exhausted” — and his rider was nowhere to be found, officials said.
Heavy rains had left the horse “exhausted and trapped” in the water overnight on Saturday, March 30, the Riverside Fire Department said on Instagram.
The weather was still bad when rescuers arrived around 1:45 p.m. the next day, and they had to act fast before conditions became even more dangerous, CAL FIRE said Friday, April 5, on Facebook.
“Due to the weather conditions and stability of the river shore, rescuers decided to hoist the horse back to safety,” officials said.
Animal rescue teams from the City of Riverside Fire Department and Norco Animal Rescue teamed up to sedate the horse — named Conquistador — and prepare him for flight, which included blindfolding him, officials said.
Photos show the prep team securing Conquistador for flight and then hoisting him into the air, and a video shows him dangling from the helicopter’s belly as it carries him “dozens of feet above the ground” and safely back to his caretaker, officials said.
Once he was back on solid ground, Conquistador posed for a photo with rescuers.
“If the horse Conquistador could talk, he’d have quite the story to tell,” officials said.
Some joked in the comments that his buddies back at the barn would never believe his story.
“His horse bros are never gonna believe he got to fly,” someone said in the comments on the Riverside Fire Department’s video of the rescue on Instagram.
Another person opted to look on the whimsical side of the whole thing.
“Fulfilled his dream of being a unicorn for the day,” they said. “So glad the horse was rescued.”
Riverside is about a 60-mile drive east from Los Angeles.
This story was originally published April 5, 2024 at 5:34 PM with the headline "Rescuers find ‘exhausted’ horse trapped in muddy riverbed — and fly him back to owner."
