It wasn’t an ordinary day at the office Wednesday for members of Melfort Fire & Rescue (MFR.) Instead of fighting a fire, they were called around 7:35 A.M. on Sept. 16 to see if they could help rescue a horse stuck in a pit. Firefighters arrived to find a horse with its legs fully submerged in the mud, unable to get out of the deep hole. MFR believes the horse was there for several hours in the night and was exhausted from attempts to get out. “Crews began to assemble a sling, and with the help of a loader, tried to lift the horse out of the pit,” MFR explained in a social media post. “The panic of the animal, combined with the slippery, muddy conditions resulted in the horse sliding out of the sling.” Firefighters came up with a new plan - dig a more gradual slope into the pit, so the horse could be guided and pulled out. MFR says all’s well that ends well, as the horse is expected to fully recover and have some giddy-up back in his step after he gets some rest. Firefighters also want to extend thanks to nearby neighbours who assisted and lent equipment to help rescue the horse.
