Threatened to drown

Fire department rescues horse from a water shaft

The horse was in danger of drowning in the narrow shaft.(Bild: FF Feldkirchen/Matt.)

A more than unusual operation for the Feldkirchen near Mattighofen fire brigade on Friday afternoon. The helpers were called to a farm with the keyword "large animal rescue". A horse had actually fallen completely into a large shaft of water and was in danger of drowning.

"A firefighter was first called by the owner himself to ask what he should do. He then raised the alarm via the fire department emergency call," says Hermann Straßhofer, commander of the Feldkirchen bei Mattighofen fire brigade, describing the start of the unusual operation. When the emergency services arrived, they found the horse in a water shaft with a diameter of around one meter.

The helpers first had to pump out the water.(Bild: FF Feldkirchen/Matt.)

Then a firefighter and horse expert was lowered to the animal.(Bild: FF Feldkirchen/Matt.)

Cover shifted in fright
The eyes were only just above the edge of the water. The owner had the presence of mind to attach a rope to the animal's halter to keep its head still and above the water. But how did the horse get in there? The large animal probably climbed onto the cover of the shaft and, in its fright, moved the cover itself. As a result, the horse fell into the full shaft with its hindquarters first and suddenly found itself a meter below the ground.

The animal was pulled out on its hooves.(Bild: FF Feldkirchen/Matt.)

The vet was roped down
"We pumped out the water. The vet arrived shortly afterwards. In order to calm the animal, the vet was roped down to the frightened animal with a lifting aid and administered light sedation," says Straßhofer. After the vet, a firefighter and horse expert was also lowered into the narrow shaft to apply lifting straps to the animal's front fetlocks. "The horse was then lifted out of the shaft with a telescopic handler and handed over to its owners, apparently unharmed but wet and somewhat chilled," said the helpers, bringing the operation to a successful conclusion.