Alachua County deputies, firefighters rescue exhausted horse after falling into Florida pond

A horse found drowning in a Florida pond was reunited with its owner after first responders leaped into action.

Alachua County deputies and fire rescue responded to a call for service in the northwest part of the county April 9, officials said in a news release.

When they arrived, they found a “drowning and exhausted” horse fighting for its life in a retention pond that appeared to be in a wooded area behind a home.

Fire rescue members dove into the pond to get the horse’s head out of the water as the rest of the team figured out how to pull the large animal out.

The team fashioned a harness out of a strap, and the rural services team provided a winch to pull the cable. Rescuers attached the harness around the horse and placed a spine board under the horse’s head as the winch slowly dragged the tired animal out of the water onto the grass, video shows.

The horse laid on its side recovering from the ordeal, but it popped onto its feet shortly after. The video shows rescuers using a lead rope attached to a bridle to inch the horse away from the water.

“Attaboy,” one rescuer is heard saying in the video as the horse gets to its feet. “That’s a good boy.”

Community members shared the rescue on social media, thanking the first responders for helping the animal in distress.

“The horse was reunited with its owner, and appeared to have no injuries,” deputies said in the release.