Firefighters, veterinarians and police helped rescue a horse after the animal and its owner tumbled into an underground utility vault Saturday while leaving Taco Bell in Riverside, California, authorities said.
Fire officials found the horse just after 9 p.m. Saturday, neck-deep in a collapsed portion of sidewalk in Riverside's Ramona neighborhood, the Press-Enterprise reported.
It had fallen through a vault cover and into a hole about 5 by 10 feet wide and 5 feet deep, authorities said.
"I don’t think it was designed -- or anyone would’ve expected -- that a horse would be walking there, in that part of the city," Battalion Chief Jeff DeLaurie told the Press-Enterprise.
Officials determined the horse was unlikely to make it out of the hole on its own and called in the city’s Heavy Animal Rescue Team. The team is made up of members of the fire department’s Technical Rescue Team, a veterinarian and mounted police.
A veterinarian sedated the horse and authorities called for a crane to assist in the rescue efforts.
The efforts ended just after 10 p.m., when the horse was able to jump from the hole on its own, according to KNBC.
A veterinarian checked over the horse and found it had lacerations on both legs, according to the news station. Fire officials said the horse’s owner brought a trailer to the scene to take the horse to a veterinarian for further evaluation.
The horse’s owner did not appear to have suffered injuries.
About the Author
