Horses Trapped in ‘Waist-Deep’ Connecticut Mud Saved by Nearly 40 First Responders After 5-Hour Rescue Mission

The horses were stuck in a “swampy area” of woodland on Sunday, May 12, according to authorities

Nearly 40 first responders rescued two horses stuck in deep mud in Connecticut after a grueling five-hour rescue mission.

According to the Lebanon Volunteer Fire Department, the horses got stuck in a “swampy area” of woodland on Sunday, May 12.

“They had wandered into the area and became stuck up to their undersides,” a Facebook post from the LVFD read in part. “LVFD personnel responded to the scene to assess the situation and quickly determined that this was going to require a Fire Dept response.”

“The access road was complete mud and there was a river to cross ½ way in,” the post continued, adding that “close to 40 personnel and the necessary ropes, wood, saws, plywood, rescue equipment, vet supplies, food and water” were shuttled in by the responding units to help with the situation.

While the LVFD cleared a roadway and constructed a makeshift bridge out of wooden cribbing, plywood and signs to allow personnel to cross the river, the Durham Animal Response Team arrived on the scene and set up their sled equipment.

“The goal was to roll the horses out of the mud, which was waist deep for rescuers, onto their sled device,” the LVFD added. “Once on the sled all personnel would work together to pull them over the make shift bridge and up onto flat ground approx. 30 yards from the swamp.”

In photos shared by the LVFD, one of the horses could be seen wrapped in ropes and lying on what appeared to be a sled.

The first horse took nearly half an hour to be freed from the mud, while the second horse, which was “considerably more stuck,” took over half an hour. In total, the rescue mission took five hours to complete, according to the LVFD.

Following their extrication, a vet assessed both horses on the scene. “Both were in mild distress and one had been stuck in the mud and water for over 7 hours,” the LVFD’s Facebook post continued, before adding that an hour after their rescue “both horses had been warmed up enough to stand and we are happy to report both got up without issue and were happily eating some fresh hay.”

Further photos showed the horses wearing turnout rugs as they were tended to after the operation.

No responders were injured in the rescue mission, according to the LVFD.