Posted: Jul 02, 2012 10:46 AM Updated: Jul 02, 2012 3:43 PM
OCALA, Fla. (WOGX FOX 51) - A horse named Sir is recovering after being rescued from a sinkhole last week.
"Looked like the ground just gave way right around him," said the horse's owner, Mark Henes.
At this point, the Henes family has no idea how long Sir was stuck in the 10-foot wide and nearly 6-foot deep sinkhole.
Photo Gallery: Horse Rescued From Sinkhole"We went out to go feed and couldn't find the horse, calling his name and heard his say NAY and all we could see was his head pointed out of the hole. We came over and found our horse standing right here," said Henes.
There was no way for the 20-year-old horse to get out on his own.
"How do you get a horse out of a hole? That's what went through my mind. It was panic, not knowing what to do, knowing we needed to do something quickly," said Henes.
Not only did Henes not know what to do, he did an Internet search for 'how to get a horse out of a sinkhole,' hoping for an easy answer. Not knowing what else to do, he his brother and a few other guys started to dig a ramp.
"With adrenaline a lot of will power, my brother did most of the work, friends four or five people, it took us about an hour."
All the while, his mother tried to keep the horse calm.
"She fed him, talked to him, put water on him kept him hydrated," said Henes.
It seems the horse knew that he was in trouble.
"He gave us some good kisses once he got out. It was amazing," said Henes.
Veterinarian Erin Jones gave the horse a full check-up and said Sir is okay. His blood pressure was a bit high from all the excitement, and he's a little scraped up on his back.
Jones says the only other time she had seen horses swallowed by a sinkhole, resulted in death.
"I'm just absolutely amazed. They're very blessed. They need to count their blessings that he got through this very, very well," said Jones.
Henes said he'll keep an eye on his property, and hopes this is their first and last sinkhole.
No comments:
Post a Comment