RARE RESCUE: Horse Saved From Tank

Marshall County first responders were called out on a rare rescue Monday night.  A couple called 911 after their horse got trapped in a tank.

“If anyone told me he could fit in the tank, I would have told them they were nuts,” says Roger Davis.

Monday night, his wife called to him in a panic.  Their 400 pound mini horse was stuck in a three by five foot tank.  Right away, Davis knew “Danny Boy” was in trouble.

“When I first looked at him, he was still breathing, but he was struggling.  His neck was all bent over,” he says.

Danny fell through a plywood cover over the tank.  It snapped under his weight and sent him head first into the hole.

“I didn’t think he’d ever live to get out of that tank,” says Davis.

The couple needed help and called the Green Mountain Fire Department.

“I was expecting a trench dug in the ground and just be able to maybe dig out with a backhoe a ramp for the horse to walk out,” says firefighter Patrick Cornwell.

Instead, about a dozen firefighters used straps and rescue ropes to lift the horse out of the tank.  Their quick thinking and brute strength saved his life.

“I’ve seen it on YouTube, but never dreamed it would have happened here,” says Cornwell.

“He’s a lucky little horsey.  Very lucky,” says Davis.

Somehow, Danny walked away without any broken bones, but he`s a little banged up.  The veterinarian said Danny will be sore for quite some time.

“Hopefully, Danny will be all right and we’ll live happily ever after,” says Davis.

Albion firefighters and the Marshall County Sheriff’s Office assisted in the rescue.  From start to finish, it took less than an hour to pull the horse to safety.