CRAB ORCHARD – Firefighters from multiple departments worked together to free a horse stuck in the mud on a farm in Crab Orchard last week.

Lexington Fire Captain Dustin Whited said teams from Lexington and Jessamine County Fire Departments were called in to assist in the rescue.

According to Dustin, a neighbor called emergency services when he noticed the horse appeared to be stuck. The owners of the horse were not home at the time.

“He saw it down. Said it wasn’t squirming around or anything,” he said.

The horse was calm and was given some hay and grain as firefighters worked to free it from the mud.

Straps were placed around the horse, followed by “stingers,” which Whited said are put into the mud and used to release the suction around the horse’s legs so that it could be safely lifted.

A backhoe was used to dig around the horse to divert the running water.

After several hours, crews were able to safely free the horse.

Whited said Saturday he spoke to the owner, who said the horse stayed in the barn for a while to recover following the incident and has since been turned back out into the paddock and is doing well.

According to the Lexington Fire Department, aside from needing a hot bath, the horse walked away from the incident unscathed.