A horse that got trapped on a wooden pedestrian bridge in Plantation, Florida has been rescued, according to the Miami Herald.
On Wednesday, June 5, an owner was riding their horse Vertigo near a park. At one point, a car passed and spooked the horse, Aston Bright of the Plantation Fire Rescue told the Miami Herald. After the incident, the owner dismounted and tried calming the horse down. That’s when Vertigo began running toward the park.
The Florida park where Vertigo found himself stuck is not typically used by horses. Vertigo ended up finding himself on a wooden pedestrian bridge that could not support his 1,100-pound weight. One section of the bridge gave way, and the horse’s hind legs became trapped in a hole. He was completely stuck and began trying to free himself.
“I saw his hooves just laying there, and I thought he had a heart attack” witness Marjorie Fazzini told WSVN 7 News Miami.
Once the Plantation Fire Rescue and Davie Fire Rescue arrived on the scene, they sedated the horse and used a tow truck with a boom. This equipment allowed the team to hoist Vertigo out of the hole. While the rescue went relatively smoothly, there was one moment when Vertigo kicked at a member of the rescue team.
Watch the video of the rescue below:
Once Vertigo was freed, he was checked out by Dr. Tiffany Trotter, an equine veterinarian. While he did have some lacerations present on one of his legs, no fractures were found.
Later that day, the City of Plantation Fire Department posted an update on Facebook stating that after the rescue, Vertigo was able to stand up on his own four feet.
We would like to thank everyone who was involved in the rescuing of this poor horse. It’s a big relief to see Vertigo seemed to have survived the incident with minimal injury.
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H/T Miami Herald