Nov. 22 (UPI) — Firefighters in New Jersey said a horse was rescued from deep mud in a wooded area two days after the animal went missing from a farm.
The Millstone Township Uniformed Firefighters said in a Facebook post that members of the Millstone Volunteer Fire Department and Jackson Fire Station 56 responded to a location deep in the woods of Millstone Township on Sunday morning when a horse was found trapped in mud.
The horse’s owner was identified and told crews the animal had been missing since Friday afternoon.
Firefighters said they were unable to reach the horse with heavy equipment due to the mud and terrain, so the crews worked together with the owner, a veterinarian and horse trainers to dig through the mud using shovels and axes.
The horse was fitted with straps and rigging to allow the rescuers to eventually pull it to safety.
“Once the horse was able to stand on his own, a stable path was created through the woods utilizing heavy rubber mats to prevent the horse from sinking,” the Facebook post said.