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Trapped horse rescued after floor of barn stall gives out

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May 3 (UPI) -- Firefighters and animal rescuers in came to the assistance of a 16-year-old horse when the animal's hind legs fell through the floor of its New Hampshire barn stall.

The Exeter Fire Department and a crew from Massachusetts-based Patriot Equine Technical Rescue responded to the barn Sunday when the horse, named Mulan, partially fell through the floor of her stall, leaving her hind legs straddling a support beam under the floor.

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The rescuers, with help from veterinarian Kirk Smith from the Amesbury Veterinary Hospital, came up with a plan to place straps around the 1,600-pound horse and slide her out of the barn while sedated.

"This was my first horse rescue. The good thing about the fire service is you never know what the call is going to be," Exeter Fire Department crew chief Tim Sirois told the Portsmouth Herald. "As we rolled the horse over, we pulled the skid mat at the same time. There was actually plenty of room for its legs."

The rescuers said Mulan suffered only minor injuries from the incident and was back on her feet eating grass within 10 minutes of being brought outside.

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