A 22-year-old horse named Sly was recently rescued following a dangerous fall through the ice of a pond in upstate New York, ABC7 reported.
A courageous team of approximately nine people, including Saratoga Springs police officers, neighbors, and family, used ropes and sheer strength to pull the 1,300-pound horse from the icy water.
Ali Ernst, who is Sly’s guardian, saw that Sly had fallen through the ice after watching her three horses playing on the pond. She then called for help, ran over to Sly to grab his halter, and struggled to keep his head above water until someone showed up.
Officer Kyle Clinton was the first to arrive and assisted Ernst in lifting the horse’s head onto the ice. Once the entire group was there, they were eventually able to secure three ropes on Sly.
“I threw all the rope in the hole and just started pulling it back in sheer hopes that I caught a hind leg, and I did, and we all just started to pull,” Ernst said.
Body-cam footage captured the rescuers shouting, “One, two, three, pull!” and “C’mon, baby. We got ya!” as Sly’s front legs thrashed desperately against the ice.
Miraculously, Sly was pulled to safety and, after a few minutes, was able to stand up. He was then transported to an equine hospital and was found to be hypothermic (having a low body temperature). Two days later, he was cleared to return home.
Ernst has since installed an electric fence around the pond to keep her horses away from the ice.
Lady Freethinker celebrates Sly’s rescue and commends the efforts of all who contributed to saving him from the icy pond.
