Horse rescued after falling into a pond in northern Kentucky
Rescue workers rescued a horse in Campbell County early Friday after it fell into a pond.
A crew of first responders helped rescue a horse that got into trouble in a pond in northern Kentucky on Friday.
A post from the Campbell County Kentucky Emergency Management Agency said authorities – including Campbell County Fire District 1, Campbell County Fire and Rescue, Campbell County Office of Emergency Management, Point Pleasant Fire in Boone County and Union Fire in Boone County – worked for more than two hours to free the horse trapped in a pond near Owl Creek Road.
The post said the animal was exhausted and every second counted.
It was hard, muddy work, but thanks to “incredible teamwork” the horse was finally recovered safely, the post said.
The 30-year-old horse is named “Big Boy,” his owner, Cory Wagner, told the Enquirer. Wagner’s partner discovered Big Boy in the creek near their Campbell County home around 6:30 a.m. Friday.
Wagner was initially unimpressed, as he thought horses regularly swam in the stream. But this time everything was different.
The water level in the creek was low and Big Boy was stuck in the pond mud. Wagner said mud is like quicksand to horses and Big Boy probably got stuck during the night.
She said he fought so hard to get out that he practically buried himself in the material.
Wagner panicked. She had loved this black and white horse for the past 28 years. She had bought him when he was 2 years old and a stallion. At that age he was strong and tried to break down the barn walls to get to the mares. Now he was helpless.
“He almost drowned,” she said. “I wouldn’t allow that to happen while I’m in office.”
She wrapped a halter and lead rope around Big Boy to keep his head above the mud and called the police.
Rescue workers arrived at the creek and dove into the mud to dig Big Boy’s legs out until he was free, Wagner said.
Wagner had previously performed search and rescue work and technical rescue training for Campbell County for about a decade, and Big Boy was her horse. She began to cry as she talked about some of her former teammates being the ones who saved her horse.
“I just can’t thank the people who came to my house and helped me enough,” she said, her voice breaking. “I can’t thank them enough. I don’t know how to thank them.”
Big Boy is not out of the woods yet, Wagner said. His eye is swollen from mud and she is worried about what he might have swallowed while stuck.
She checks on him every 45 minutes to an hour. She says she’ll be more confident when he’s healthy in the next week.
Wagner wants the public to know that there are people who can help if their pet ever finds themselves in a similar situation.
“Horses are unpredictable,” she said. “This isn’t the first time a horse has gotten stuck in the mud.”
