Melfort firefighters get their hands dirty saving horse in mud pit

Melfort firefighters found themselves horsing around earlier this week.

On Wednesday at around 7:30 a.m., Melfort Fire and Rescue received a call about a horse stuck in a mud pit.

When crews arrived at the property, located between Melfort and Star City, Fire Chief Leonard Whitney said they saw the horse “completely covered in mud.”

Read more:

• Cochin residents take trouble by the reins after horse gets trapped in icy creek
• ‘This one’s for Brookie’: Shellbrook teen remembered after fatal crash
• Edmonton police seek missing father, two children, who may be in Sask.

“You could tell that it had been trying to get out and was struggling inside the pit, and of course the water was cold,” he said, adding that it was unclear how long the animal had been in there.

Fire Chief Leonard Whitney said he thinks Digger got too close to the edge of the pit and fell in, after recent rainfall made the area extra slippery. (Melfort Fire & Rescue Facebook)

Firefighters worked with the owner to find a way to rescue the exhausted horse, appropriately named Digger.

Crews assembled a sling and tried to use a loader to lift Digger out of the pit.

But, as Melfort Fire wrote in an Instagram post, “the panic of the animal, combined with the slippery, muddy conditions resulted in the horse sliding out of the sling.”

So, Whitney said they changed tactics and built a ramp down to Digger by taking out one of the pit’s side walls.

With the ramp in place, crews guided and pulled Digger to safety, where he was more than happy to be cleaned up.

According to Whitney, Digger was putting his face in the water and smiling after his rescue. (Melfort Fire & Rescue Facebook)

“You can tell by some of the pictures, when we were washing him off, he actually started smiling. You could almost see him smiling and putting his face in the water. He really liked the water,” according to Whitney.

At the end of the rescue, though, it wasn’t just Digger who’d gotten caked in mud.

“Everybody got their own spa treatment with a mud bath for the day,” Whitney joked. “But, you know, that’s just what you have to do.”

According to Whitney, who’s worked in the fire department for more than 20 years, this is the first time he’s responded to a call like this.

For him, moments like Digger’s rescue highlight the team’s adaptability.

“With our training and everything else, we always train for Plan A and Plan B and Plan C if needed,” he said.

As for Digger, Melfort Fire said the horse got some rest and is “expected to make a full recovery.”