'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
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.