Animal Rescues: Korweinguboora Horse Rescue

On Tuesday 16 March RSPCA Inspector Kirsten Hughes received a call concerning a horse stuck in a well at a property in Korweinguboora, a small town between Ballan and Daylesford. <br /><br />While en route Inspector Hughes arranged for assistance from the Ballarat SES and RSPCA Inspector Sally Heath from Bendigo. <br /><br />The horse, a 27 year old gelding called Tic-Tac, had walked over red-gum beams that covered the well, and had fallen in when one of the beams broke. The horse was approximately five meters down the well, in several meters of water, and quite distressed.<br /><br />The Inspectors and a Ranger from Hepburn Shire Council bucketed water out of the well and removed debris from on top of the horse, while waiting for the SES and a water pump. Dog catching poles have multiple uses, and proved invaluable for lifting out the red-gum beams that had been lying on the back of Tic-Tac.<br /><br />Hepburn Shire Council assisted by providing a water pump to drain the well, which gave the horse even more relief. A crane was arranged, as the only way to get the horse out was lifting it, and a local vet was asked to attend in case the horse was injured.<br /><br />One of the SES crew was lowered by harness into the well, where he placed two RSPCA snatchum straps underneath the horse to use as a sling. When the horse was properly secured, he was lifted by crane out of the well and lowered onto the grass.<br /><br />Kirsten and Sally rinsed some of the mud off the horse and the vet checked it for injuries. Thankfully, the horse escaped with just a few scratches.