Crews rescue 26-year-old mare from mud pit in rural Boulder County

DENVER (KDVR) — A horse was found by her owner trapped in a pit of mud in rural Boulder County on Thursday afternoon, and after hours of work, crews were able to safely pull the mare to solid ground.

The horse, named Sweetie, is an adult warmblood mare who is 26 years old. She was found at about 1:08 p.m. on Thursday “immersed in mud and stuck.” The property is located in the 6200 block of Plateau Road, near the Lagerman Reservoir and Longmont.

The owner found the horse trapped and when he attempted to free her, he also became stuck. After he called for help, a neighbor responded and alerted 911 to the emergency.

There was a response from the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office Animal Protection Unit, Emergency Services Unit, Boulder Fire Rescue, Boulder Rural Fire Rescue, and Boulder Emergency Squad. The crews worked together to safely free the horse.

A veterinarian from VetweRx was called to the scene and provided care during the rescue, according to the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office Public Information Officer Vinnie Montez. The horse was freed from the mud hours after she was found trapped.

The sheriff’s office public information officer told FOX31’s Greg Nieto that Sweetie was moved from the mud and as of 6:20 p.m., veterinarians were working to get her back on her feet.

“I spoke with the veterinarian just a little bit ago — it’s important that the horse gets up, because if they don’t, that could be catastrophic for them,” Montez said. “As you’ve seen, there have been multiple attempts.”

At about 7 p.m., crews brought a tractor to the scene to try and help pull Sweetie to her feet. The vet was giving Sweetie IV fluids to prepare.

At about 7:30 p.m., Sweetie was successfully pulled to her feet. The next three days will require a lot of oversight and care for the older mare.

Montez told Nieto that, based on the location, sheriff’s deputies are often the first on scene and receive training for situations like this.

“It’s very common, being in a rural area like this, that the sheriff’s office is one of the first to be on scene,” Montez said.