Horse, Bogged in Mud, Freed After 5 Hours
Firefighters struggled for about five hours to free a horse stuck up to its belly in mud near Irvine Lake on Friday afternoon, authorities said.
About 20 firefighters joined county animal control workers and park rangers for the rescue, which began about 2 p.m., said Capt. Paul Hunter of the Orange County Fire Authority. The horse was freed without injury, Hunter said.
“We used fire hoses strapped around the horse, like a winch, and just used people power to get it out,” Hunter said.
The horse’s rider apparently went out onto the reservoir bed near the Villa Park Dam not realizing the area was a mud bog, Hunter said.
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