Horse uninjured after being rescued from mud in Saanich
Firefighters in Saanich were called in to rescue a horse stuck in deep mud Saturday morning.
Video shared on Twitter by Saanich Fire Department Assistant Deputy Chief Robert Heppell shows roughly a dozen people - most of them wearing fire department uniforms - hauling the animal onto solid ground.
In a phone interview, Heppell told CTV News Vancouver Island that the call came in around 10 a.m. from the horse's owner, who said the animal had wandered into a swampy area in northwest Saanich, near Camosun College's Interurban campus.
Crews fashioned slings out of fire hoses and climbed into the mud with the horse to get the slings underneath the animal, Heppell said, noting that they had to be "very cautious."
Images of the horse in Heppell's tweet show the horse submerged up to its neck in the muddy water, which he described as a bog.
With help from neighbours and the horse's owner, firefighters managed to rescue the horse in just under an hour, Heppell said.
He praised the firefighters from the department's B Platoon for their "outstanding teamwork and ingenuity."
The horse, named Gecko, spent a few minutes lying on its side after the rescue, but it eventually stood up, Heppell said.
"As you can imagine, he was quite exhausted," Heppell said, adding that Gecko had not sustained any injuries during the ordeal.
Saturday's incident is the second time this month that fire crews on the Saanich Peninsula have been called in to rescue a horse from mud.
On July 13, Central Saanich firefighters helped rescue a horse that had fallen into a ditch on the Willow Way trail.
In that incident, crews dug a slope on the side of the trail to allow the animal to climb out. They also attached straps to the horse's backside to help lift it out of the mud.
Heppell said horse rescues happen from time to time in Saanich, but they're not common.
"It's not something we train for," he said. "Our crews did a great job."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canada Disability Benefit needs to be safeguarded from clawbacks, MPs unanimously agree
The federal government needs to safeguard the incoming Canada Disability Benefit from clawbacks and do more to ensure it actually meets the stated aim of lifting people living with disabilities out of poverty, MPs from all parties agree.
Security guard shot, seriously injured outside of Drake's Toronto mansion
A security guard working at Drake’s Bridle Path mansion in Toronto was seriously injured in a shooting outside the residence early Tuesday morning, police said.
Testifying in hush money trial, adult film actor Stormy Daniels describes first meeting Trump
Stormy Daniels took the witness stand Tuesday at Donald Trump's hush money trial, describing for jurors a sexual encounter the porn actor says she had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid off to keep silent during the presidential election 10 years later.
King Charles too busy to see son Prince Harry during U.K. trip
Prince Harry will not be seeing his father King Charles during his current visit to Britain as the monarch will be too busy, Harry's spokesperson said on Tuesday.
opinion Tom Mulcair: Turfing Poilievre from House a clear sign of desperation by Trudeau Liberals
When Speaker Greg Fergus tossed out Pierre Poilievre from the House last week, "those of us who have experience as parliamentarians simply couldn't believe our eyes," writes former NDP leader Tom Mulcair in his column for CTVNews.ca
Apple unveils new iPad Pro with 'outrageously powerful' AI-powered chip
Apple is hoping its latest iPad lineup will breathe new life into its sluggish tablet market. In a pre-recorded live streamed event from its Cupertino, California headquarters, the company introduced the latest versions of its iPad Pro and iPad Air tablets, and an all-new Apple Pencil Pro.
Katy Perry's mom was fooled by AI images of the singer at the Met Gala
Katy Perry did not attend the Met Gala on Monday, but some of the singer’s fans – and even her mom – thought she did.
Your body needs these three forms of movement every week
Movement is movement, right? Not exactly. Here’s what your body is looking for in addition to your morning walk or yoga session, according to experts.
'It looked so legit': Ontario man pays $7,700 for luxury villa found on Booking.com, but the listing was fake
An Ontario man says he paid more than $7,700 for a luxury villa he found on a popular travel website -- but the listing was fake.