PONOKA, Alta. – Two stallions are recovering after they were rescued Nov. 15 from what could have been an icy grave.
Ponoka firefighters were called just before sunset when a farmer asked for help rescuing two horses that had fallen through the ice into a grassy slough.
Ponoka fire chief Ted Dillon said the farmer, a recent immigrant to Canada, had approached one of his volunteer firefighters at work. The volunteer then contacted the fire hall and rounded up some help while Dillon gathered halters and ropes from the livestock emergency trailer that Ponoka County has been putting together.
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The temperature was -5 C and dropping when firefighters arrived at the farm just outside Ponoka.
One horse made it out of the water on its own but the other had given up and was lying on its side. Dillon said the animal likely became exhausted quickly because the water was so cold.
With the farmer on his all-terrain vehicle and eight pairs of experienced hands helping out, the crew was able to pull the horse safely to shore and get it to its feet.
The farmer then took both animals to a barn where they could be dried off and warmed up. He returned to the fire hall the next day with a box of doughnuts to express his gratitude.
RCMP livestock investigator Dave Heaslip said the accident should serve as a warning. Unusually heavy rain in the region has meant more standing water than usual, which is now in the early stages of freezing.
Horses, cattle and children can wander onto the heavier ice at the edge and feel safe, he added, but risk breaking through as they approach thinner ice. There have been at least two instances in recent years in which farmers have lost animals that fell through the ice. Most recently, a farmer near Red Deer lost 15 animals when his cattle walked onto a dugout and fell through.
In 2006, 170 cattle died after plunging through thin ice on a farm near Viking, Alta.
Ponoka County’s livestock emergency trailer is not ready for the road, but Heaslip said it did supply valuable equipment for the rescuers at Ponoka, who are all experienced with livestock and trained in managing livestock emergencies. It is the second such trailer in Alberta, modelled after a unit built for Red Deer County.
The trailers carry emergency equipment including ropes, halters, portable corrals, generators, lights and disposable coveralls.
Police and firefighters in Alberta are offered specialized training for managing emergencies that involve transported livestock.
Dillon said most of Ponoka’s firefighters have experience handling livestock.
