Team of rescuers free mud-stuck horse from Santa Ynez River
Personnel with the Los Padres Forest Service and Santa Barbara Humane Society are being held as heroes after rescuing a mud-stuck horse Thursday afternoon.
The Santa Barbara Ranger District office received a report about a stuck horse buried deep in mud along the Santa Ynez River.
For four hours, rescuers, which included several workers from the Rancho Oso resort, used, shovels, ropes and slings to extricate the horse while the horse’s owner kept the animal calm.
Water was poured over Frankie the horse to keep him cool from the afternoon sun, and once enough mud was shoveled out from around the horse, a harness helped free Frankie.
Frankie the horse is reportedly doing fine and will make a full recovery.
Los Padres Forest Service personnel remind the public that when riding a horse in saturated areas, keep a safe distance from the mud because the ground simply will not support such heavy animals.
