Volunteers rescue wild horse stuck in cattle guard

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It happened on Saturday afternoon when a Nevada Highway Patrol officer discovered a Virginia Range stallion stuck in a cattle guard near Silver Springs. The wild horse had fallen through the grates trapping his legs.

According to the Facebook page of Willis Lamm, North Lyon Country Fire Protection, Central Lyon County Fire Department and the Nevada Animal Emergency Network assisted in the complicated and very tricky rescue effort:

“This one was by far the scariest and trickiest. NHP reported a wild horse stuck in a cattle guard on US-95A at Damon’s curve.

Cattle guard rescues are my worst nightmare. You have to work up close in a dangerous situation. One wrong move and someone gets hurt or the horse breaks a leg and has to be put down. NHP did a great job keeping the Lookie Lous away. Our crew was assisted by Brittany and Linda from LBL Equine Rescue, and some really great crews from North Lyon County Fire and Central Lyon County Fire.”

A citizen familiar with horses placed his jacket over the horse’s face to help the animal stay calm. All four legs had been stuck in the castle guard, and rescuers used a prying bar to free the horse’s hooves and then used a sling to roll him over to help him get his legs in position to stand up.

“The foreleg looks bad but the real challenge involved the hind which was jammed between the top metal strap and a T-plate under the grate. It was wedged tight,” Lamm explained.

At times the horse would fuss and struggle, but sometimes nibbled on hay which helped to keep him calm.

“We decided to get the front leg free first. The risk was that the horse might try to get up and snap his hind leg. We maintained control of the front legs with webbing and finally was able to re position the horse just enough to pry his hind hoof free.”

After the horse was successfully freed from the cattle guard, the horse stood up, shook himself off while looking around and gracefully trotted away. Let’s hope he warns the rest of the herd about cattle guards. How cool is that?

Many thanks to our rescue heroes.  You guys rock! Share the news; everyone needs a reason to smile.

(Photos courtesy of Willis Lamm)

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Pug remembers the vet tech who helped save his life and gives her the best hug ever


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6 COMMENTS

  1. Amazing rescue. The cattle guard is unforgiving. To trot off is a miracle in itself. Great, great job folks. What a lucky horse that you were there for him.

  2. HUGE THANK YOU to ALL who rescued the horse. The owner needs to be informed of the danger of the cattle guard so this does not happen again.

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