'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
Canada's most wanted fugitive arrested in P.E.I. in connection with Toronto homicide
A suspect in a fatal shooting in Toronto’s east end last summer has been arrested in Charlottetown, just one week after he topped a list of Canada’s most wanted fugitives.
BREAKING Federal employees will be required to spend 3 days a week in the office
Starting in September, public servants in the core public administration will be required to work in the office a minimum of three days a week. The Treasury Board Secretariat says executives will need to be in the office four days per week.
Concerns about plexiglass prompt inspections at some Loblaws locations in Ottawa
Inspections are underway at more than one Loblaws location in Ottawa after complaints were filed about tall plexiglass barriers.
Plane overshoots runway at airport in St. John's, N.L., no injuries reported
Investigators from the Transportation Safety Board of Canada are headed to St. John's, N.L., after a plane overshot a runway at the city's airport this afternoon.
Poilievre unrepentant over calling Trudeau 'wacko' as his MPs say Speaker should resign
An unrepentant Pierre Poilievre returned to the House of Commons on Wednesday to pepper the prime minister about his drug decriminalization policies after being booted the day prior for refusing to take back calling Justin Trudeau 'wacko' over his approach to the issue.
Five human skeletons, missing hands and feet, found outside house of Nazi leader Hermann Göring
Archeologists have unearthed the skeletons of five people, missing their hands and feet, at a former Nazi military base in Poland.
Toddler of Phoenix first responder dies after bounce house goes airborne
A two-year-old child died after a strong gust of wind sent the bounce house he was in airborne and into a neighbouring lot in central Arizona, the Pinal County Sheriff's Office said.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh confirms his party will support the Liberals' federal budget
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says his party will support the federal budget, ending any speculation that the party could pull out of its deal with the minority Liberal government.
Dental care program accepting claims for 1 million seniors
Citizens' Services Minister Terry Beech says 1,200 seniors have already visited a dentist and had their claims processed by the federal government's new dental care plan.