After nearly being swept away by an Okanagan creek over the weekend, a wild horse known as River is recovering safely thanks to a dramatic rescue mission that was captured on video.
In the video posted by Theresa Nolet, an exhausted River is seen fighting the increasingly swift current of Trout Creek in Summerland. Rescuers managed to get a noose around the horse’s head, but it came off after the frightened animal struggled free, leaving her farther out in the water.
Firefighters had to wade out into the waters themselves to lasso the filly, leading her back to the shoreline where she quickly collapsed from a combination of exhaustion, shock and hypothermia.
Rescuers needed to use a sheet of plywood to slide the horse out of the creek and on to stable land, as firefighters covered her with towels to dry her off and warm her up.
Finally, after some coaxing, River was able to rise to her feet and be led away from the creek to recover at a foster home in Summerland.
O.A.T.S. Horse Rescue is accepting donations for the River’s care via Paypal at bullterrier[at]shaw.ca.
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Featured Image: O.A.T.S. Horse Rescue via Facebook
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