Horse rescued after getting stuck in rotted hole in wooden bridge
NORTH BEND, Wash. - Over 30 rescuers worked together to free a horse that got stuck in a rotted bridge on the Middle Fork trail in North Bend over the weekend.
On Sunday evening, Washington State Animal Response Team (WASART) and King County Explorer Search and Rescue (KCESAR) responded calls to the Middle Fork trail indicating a person and their horse had gotten about half a mile up the trail, and the horse, named Dakota, got stuck in a hole on a bridge.
Dakota's right hind limb was on the bridge deck splayed out. She was laying across the bridge with her front hooves hooked over the other edge of the bridge. Her head and neck were resting on one of the bridge rails. There was a piece of wood missing along the edge of the bridge decking, creating a notch that Dakota would intermittently get her left hind leg caught in. She was alert, but clearly distressed, and would struggle to raise her front end up every 10 minutes or so, WASART described of her position.
Rescuers first put webbing beneath the already-compromised boards to provide more security so they didn't break further.
A highline anchored approximately 40 feet up in the trees was set up over the bridge to act as a pulley for lifting Dakota out.
"Another haul system was set up in line with Dakota’s hind end and anchored to a tree beyond the opposite end of the bridge, allowing us to pull her hind limb out of the hole as soon as she was lifted up by the highline. There was no way to get the Becker slings beneath her (she was too deep into the hole), but we were able to pass a 4-inch wide webbing strap under her front end and down to her abdominal region. This was secured into a long loop around her abdomen, and eventually attached to both the highline and the hind end haul system," WASART reported.
Dakota was assessed by her vet and then sedated for the move.
Through the use of pulleys, slings, and a glide to get Dakota out and maneuvered her in a way for crews to bring her back down.
They waited for her sedative to wear off and used a sling to help raise her to her feet. Dakota was able to stand, walk and support her own weight.
About 33 crew members responded, using rigging systems to bring their gear down the hill and hiking up with it.