Happy News - A Horse is Rescued from Frozen Pond

Helping hands

Photos by Patrick Reddy / AP

Doug Oldiges waits as rescue personnel prepare to free his horse, Pencil, after he fell through the ice on a pond on Oldiges’ farm in Melbourne, Ky. He is shown here breaking the ice around his horse, as firefighters and members of the Northern Kentucky Large Animal Rescue Team arrive at the scene.

Rescuers stand on plywood as they pull Pencil out of the ice.

A firefighter comforts Pencil as he waits to be rescued. Firefighters and members of the Northern Kentucky Large Animal Rescue Team rescued Pencil with plywood and slings to pull him out of the ice.

Pencil stands up after being successfully pulled from the water and onto the bank.

Pencil the walking horse is back at home after being rescued from an icy pond where he was stuck for more than an hour. The Kentucky Enquirer reported that it took nearly 40 firefighters, including members of the Northern Kentucky Large Animal Rescue Team, to get the horse out.

Pencil's owner, Doug Oldiges, said the horse might have gone to the pond looking for water to drink because the heater on his water trough had stopped working.

Oldiges said a veterinarian will monitor Pencil to make sure the horse has no continuing effects from the incident.

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Blessings on all 'first responders' who seem to show up just when we need them. Or in this case when Pencil needed them. These photos show clearly the care and concern that they have while doing their job.