Missouri: Local Firefighters Rescue Horse From Icy Waters

MISSOURI -- Firefighters’ quick response saved the life of a horse that fell through the ice into a pond last week.

The Gravois Fire Protection District received a call at 9:07 a.m. on Friday, Jan. 22 to a horse ranch on Highway 135 at Black Elk Lane. A horse had fallen through the ice on a pond and someone driving by saw the horse and called 911.

The horse, whose name is Charlie, was up to his neck in water and could not get out. A mutual aid call was sent out to the Versailles Rural Large Animal Rescue Unit.

“If they fall into the freezing water, they only have a couple minutes before hypothermia sets in to the point they lose the ability to move their legs,” Gravois Fire Protection District Fire Chief Ed Hancock pointed out. “Normal motor skills degrade quickly in these temperatures.”

The horse was adjacent to the pond bank and was wearing a halter. Gravois Fire Protection District firefighter Matt Holladay was able to hang from a tree at the edge of the pond and grab the horse by the halter. With Holladay’s urging, the horse calmly walked out of the pond.

Charlie was led to the barn where he was wrapped in warm blankets. His owners were in their home, unaware of the emergency. Hancock recalled they brought out more blankets and a space heater and fed the horse, causing him to soon become more alert. Charlie did not suffer any long-lasting harm from the incident.

According to Chief Hancock, during ice rescues, crews often have to don flotation devices and cold water immersion suits, cross the ice and break it with great risk to personnel. In some cases, large animal rescue personnel will assist by harnessing the animals and pulling them out with a crane.

This was the third large animal rescue for the district in the last month.

Dangers of ice  
Chief Hancock warns residents that many times livestock and house pets will get out on top of the ice.

“This is extremely dangerous,” Chief Hancock said. “Livestock drink out of the pond and they will go back to what is familiar, but this time of year it is partially frozen. This requires more vigilance on the part of owners. If you have an animal that is unaccounted for, go and check on them.”

The Gravois Fire Protection District saved Charlie

Chief Hancock said at Lake of the Ozarks, the back of coves will typically freeze over, but with the way lake levels fluctuate, the ice can still be dangerous. The changes in water levels cause air pockets between the water and the ice and when pressure is placed on the ice they can collapse.

His advice; “Stay off the ice, particularly on lakes and rivers with moving water.”

(Lake Expo - Jan 28, 2016)