Published: Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Horse safe after being dug out of muddy ditch on Ebey Island
-
Fire District No. 8 photo
Friends and neighbors help 9-year-old Arabian gelding Red climb out of a drainage ditch on Ebey Island after he got stuck Monday morning.
EBEY ISLAND -- When Red went missing, his caretaker thought he might just be frolicking in the wrong pasture.
But the 9-year-old Arabian gelding was underground, hidden in a 10-foot drainage ditch.
Red had wandered through a broken fence and into the ditch between 8 and 10:30 a.m. Monday. By the time the caretaker found him, Red had headed into the deep, narrow ditch so far that he was stuck tight. There wasn't even a hint of the horse sticking up to the surface.
"He was in bad shape," said Bruce Huston, a battalion chief with Fire District 8.
But by late afternoon, Red was back on solid ground, getting a bath from firefighters and first aid from a veterinarian.
"Red was remarkably unscathed," said Brandi Holohan, a veterinarian with Pilchuck Veterinary Hospital in Snohomish. She and her colleagues have cared for Red in the past.
When Holohan arrived at the field in the 600 block of 63rd Avenue, Red, who stands a little more than 5 feet, was up to his shoulders in mud. She called firefighters while Red's owner, Katie Millholland of Everett, called a friend with a backhoe.
While they waited, Millholland stretched out on the ground so she could reach Red and comfort him.
"He didn't thrash around or do anything," Millholland said. "He just sat there like, "OK, guys, whatever you have to do."
While the backhoe driver gingerly scooped out the dirt around Red, his trainer held his head so he wouldn't jump into harm's way. After awhile, Red was able to walk out of the ditch.
"They kind of made him an exit ramp," Holohan said.
After checking Red for injuries, Holohan and her technician mildly sedated the horse and gave him IV fluids and anti-inflammatory medicine.
Red received post-stress therapy, along with a firehose bath. He might experience some muscle soreness, but he appears to be OK, Holohan said.
She credits Red's good fortune to caretaker diligence. His boarding facility owners count the horses in their pastures every few hours, so they quickly discovered that Red was missing.
Huston, with the fire district, couldn't believe how well-mannered Red stayed throughout the ordeal.
"You could see there was a calm about that horse," he said.
Firefighters lent a hand, but Red's friends and neighbors took care of almost everything, he said. It was refreshing to see such good horsemanship.
"We made him fit as a fiddle," Huston said.
Rikki King: 425-339-3449; rking@heraldnet.com
But the 9-year-old Arabian gelding was underground, hidden in a 10-foot drainage ditch.
Red had wandered through a broken fence and into the ditch between 8 and 10:30 a.m. Monday. By the time the caretaker found him, Red had headed into the deep, narrow ditch so far that he was stuck tight. There wasn't even a hint of the horse sticking up to the surface.
"He was in bad shape," said Bruce Huston, a battalion chief with Fire District 8.
But by late afternoon, Red was back on solid ground, getting a bath from firefighters and first aid from a veterinarian.
"Red was remarkably unscathed," said Brandi Holohan, a veterinarian with Pilchuck Veterinary Hospital in Snohomish. She and her colleagues have cared for Red in the past.
When Holohan arrived at the field in the 600 block of 63rd Avenue, Red, who stands a little more than 5 feet, was up to his shoulders in mud. She called firefighters while Red's owner, Katie Millholland of Everett, called a friend with a backhoe.
While they waited, Millholland stretched out on the ground so she could reach Red and comfort him.
"He didn't thrash around or do anything," Millholland said. "He just sat there like, "OK, guys, whatever you have to do."
While the backhoe driver gingerly scooped out the dirt around Red, his trainer held his head so he wouldn't jump into harm's way. After awhile, Red was able to walk out of the ditch.
"They kind of made him an exit ramp," Holohan said.
After checking Red for injuries, Holohan and her technician mildly sedated the horse and gave him IV fluids and anti-inflammatory medicine.
Red received post-stress therapy, along with a firehose bath. He might experience some muscle soreness, but he appears to be OK, Holohan said.
She credits Red's good fortune to caretaker diligence. His boarding facility owners count the horses in their pastures every few hours, so they quickly discovered that Red was missing.
Huston, with the fire district, couldn't believe how well-mannered Red stayed throughout the ordeal.
"You could see there was a calm about that horse," he said.
Firefighters lent a hand, but Red's friends and neighbors took care of almost everything, he said. It was refreshing to see such good horsemanship.
"We made him fit as a fiddle," Huston said.
Rikki King: 425-339-3449; rking@heraldnet.com
Comments
(
