'My first horse rescue': Local veterinarian helps firefighters free trapped horse in Central Saanich
You could call the horse droppings along Willows Way in Central Saanich "mounds of evidence." It’s a trail tracing us back to the scene of a Thursday night rescue.
"That would be my first horse rescue," said deputy chief Stacey Lee of the Central Saanich Fire Department.
A horse, led by its owner, failed to see a deep muddy ditch through some tall grass. The horse fell in and was mired in mud.
"It was a little sketchy," said the deputy fire chief. "The horse, it was spooked, it was tired and it was scared."
The trapped horse is shown. (Central Saanich Fire Department)
The ditch was so steep that Central Saanich Fire called in public works to level out the grade. After that job was done, there was still a problem, the horse's legs were clearly still stuck in the mud and the animal was unable to get out under its own power.
That's when a stranger arrived, sporting a hockey helmet.
"He was a local vet," said Lee.
"He climbed right in there with [the horse] and he was actually manipulating its feet under it," said the deputy fire chief.
The veterinarian, named Tino Martinez, was able to free the horse's legs. However, the horse still needed help getting onto the road because it lacked traction. That's when a team solution was needed.
"We had to make due with what we had," said Lee.
What the department isn’t short on is firehoses. Members doubled up several two-and-a-half inch hoses and built a sling.
(Central Saanich Fire Department)
It took eight firefighters to pull the horse out of the ditch, which was unhurt after the whole ordeal.
One neighbourhood resident told CTV News they think the grass should be cut back so that people and animals can see there's a drop-off.
Late Friday afternoon, public works did just that, which will hopefully prevent a similar situation from happening again.
The horse was uninjured after it was pulled free. (Central Saanich Fire Department)
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.