Connecticut horses ‘happily eating hay’ after rescuers built bridge to save them from mud

Up to 40 first responders toiled for hours in a Connecticut forest to successfully rescue two horses who had become stuck in a muddy swamp on a local farm.

The huge effort to save the horses involved clearing a roadway into the thick woods and building a makeshift bridge utilizing logs and plywood. “The area was not accessible for equipment and would require manpower to extricate them from the woods,” said the Lebanon volunteer fire department in a statement.

The rescuers, working in waist-deep mud, eventually were able to get each horse onto a sled-like device and haul them out of the mire.

“A vet from Fenton River Vets arrived and assessed both horses on scene. Both were in mild distress and one had been stuck in the mud and water for over seven hours,” the LVFD said.

By evening “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”.