When a horse named Frisky fell into a collapsed septic tank, a host of agencies responded to rescue the cold and frightened animal, which was stuck and struggling in the gross gunk.
The Pueblo County Sheriff’s Emergency Services in southern Colorado was helped by Pueblo West Fire, Pueblo West Metro District, the Community Animal Rescue Team (CART) and local veterinarian Dr. Bryan McDonald to safely haul the horse out of the hole.
Frisky is “sore but otherwise doing well” after the harrowing ordeal, the county reports.
“That was the first horse rescue I’ve been on in 29 years,” Lonnie Legan, assistant chief of the Pueblo West Fire Department, told Cowboy State Daily on Thursday.
Neighborly Assistance
The Pueblo West Fire Department got the call about a horse in distress Feb. 8. Several personnel rushed to the scene, but Legan said had to make a detour to pick up some equipment.
“I was actually off that day,” he said. “They call me because I do dirt work on the side, so I brought in an excavator in case we needed to dig anything out.”
Frisky was standing over the subterranean septic tank when its concrete roof collapsed. The horse’s hindquarters were trapped underground, submerged in sewage, while its front half stuck out of the hole.
Legan said Frisky couldn’t have hoped for a better rescue crew. Some of the Pueblo West firefighters had taken horse rescue classes in the past, so they knew how to keep the animal safe while they attempted to extract it.
“I don’t know anything about the classes, and it’s been a while since I’ve done anything like that,” he said.
No Horseplay
Even with expertise, horse rescues need to be meticulously undertaken to ensure people nor the horse are hurt. The equine extraction team had to work quickly and carefully.
Tow straps were wrapped around Frisky’s torso and front legs, but Legan said no extraction was attempted until Dr. McDonald arrived to sedate the horse.
Once Frisky was no longer frisky, a truck-mounted crane provided by Pueblo West Metro moved in to lead the horse out of the septic tank.
“The truck had a crane on the back of it, so they could hook the strap to it,” Legan said. “We were able to pick the horse straight up and over and lay it on the ground away from the tank.”
Legan said the entire horse hole operation took less than 90 minutescomplete. Fortunately, the excavator he brought wasn’t needed for any lifting or digging.
According to a Mondy update from the Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office, Frisky walked away from the ordeal once the sedatives wore off. She was a little sore but sustained no serious injuries.
A host of help responded fast to save a horse named Frisky that had fallen into a collapsed septic tank in southern Colorado on Saturday. The local sheriff’s office reports the horse was scared, cold and smelly, but is fine now. (Pueblo County Sheriff's Office) 
A host of help responded fast to save a horse named Frisky that had fallen into a collapsed septic tank in southern Colorado on Saturday. The local sheriff’s office reports the horse was scared, cold and smelly, but is fine now. (Pueblo County Sheriff's Office) 
A host of help responded fast to save a horse named Frisky that had fallen into a collapsed septic tank in southern Colorado on Saturday. The local sheriff’s office reports the horse was scared, cold and smelly, but is fine now. (Pueblo County Sheriff's Office) 
A host of help responded fast to save a horse named Frisky that had fallen into a collapsed septic tank in southern Colorado on Saturday. The local sheriff’s office reports the horse was scared, cold and smelly, but is fine now. (Pueblo County Sheriff's Office)
Wet Horsefeathers
Horses are usually adept at navigating the hazards of whatever environment they find themselves in, but that doesn’t mean they’re immune to the occasional pony predicament.
Big Joe, an Idaho crossbreed draft horse, got stuck in a giant mudhole in October 2024. It took three men, cables, ropes, a side-by-side, and a skidsteer to haul Big Joe out of the mudhole, which saved the horse’s life.
In January 2024, the Campbell County Fire Department rescued two horses from a frozen pond near Gillette after they wandered onto the icy surface and fell through.
Battalion Chief Kate Eischeid said timing is essential when it comes to horse rescues. Every call is a race against the clock to ensure the horse can be saved before it succumbs to the situation.
“They’re not always successful,” she told Cowboy State Daily after the rescue. “By the time we get there, some (animals) are deceased, and some aren’t.”
Fortunately, both horses were successfully saved from the pond that day. Eischeid lauded the skills of the Campbell County Fire Department and Sheriff’s Office for the rescue, but their rapid response determined the outcome.
“It was all good timing, honestly,” she said.
Fortunately for Frisky, Pueblo County also responded and acted quickly to save her life. That goes to show that it’s never a one-horse race when it comes to successful horse rescues.
Andrew Rossi can be reached at arossi@cowboystatedaily.com.
