Officials Rush To Rescue Horse From Freezing Clinton Swamp

CLINTON, CT — Clinton authorities sprung into action Tuesday morning after receiving a call from a local whose horse was stuck in a freezing swamp, according to the Clinton Volunteer Fire Department.

Emergency responders plus an animal response team and a horse veterinarian arrived around 10 a.m. at a swamp just north of the barn, from where the 5-year-old horse had become startled and charged through a wooden fence and into the water, officials said.

Rescuers entered the cold water to reach the horse as it stood around 200 feet from the shore in three to four feet of muddy water, according to officials.

The team cleared a path from the shore into the swamp using sheets of plywood and rubber barn stall mats, with eight members standing in the water to help lead the horse through mud and weeds.

"Using soft slings and a rope system, the horse was carefully slid a few feet at a time," according to officials.

The horse then collapsed from exhaustion 20 feet from the shore, officials said.

The animal response team helped the horse get back on to its feet, after which it was escorted to the barn, where nearly two dozen members treated the horse for just over two hours.

No injuries were reported and the rescue was deemed a success, according to officials.