FUZZ, the two-year-old Welsh pony, is a lucky horse.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
After falling into a well of freezing water some time on Monday night on a property on Cadia Road, the pony was rescued virtually unscathed yesterday morning through the efforts of Orange Fire and Rescue, a veterinary surgeon and a local crane service company.
When Orange Fire and Rescue arrived on the scene early yesterday morning the freezing water in the well was halfway up the pony’s ribs. Firefighters immediately started to pump water out so veterinary surgeon Kate Burnheim could climb down into the well to assess the pony’s injuries.
Soothing the pony and administering an injection to calm the animal while standing in the freezing water, Ms Burnheim was able to attach a harness to the pony guided by firefighters.
By the time the pony was winched to the top of the well he was heavily sedated and was gently laid on the ground before being covered with blankets to keep him warm.
Visibly shaking from the effects of being in the freezing water, Ms Burnheim set to work stabilising the pony and stitching the laceration on his leg.
Just after 9.30am, much to the delight of owner Stephanie Danis and rescuers, Fuzz got to his feet and after regaining his balance, took his first few tentative steps.
“We really appreciate the effort everyone has gone to this morning,” Ms Danis said.
She said every morning she had a routine of checking both her horses before leaving for work.
“But I could only see one of them and thought something was wrong so I walked around the paddock and found Fuzz down the well where the cover must have come off,” she said.
Orange Fire and Rescue station officer Chris Saunders said it was the first time he had supervised this type of animal rescue.
“It was a good result all round, and we were really appreciative the crane driver and the vet could get there so quickly,” Mr Saunders said.
Garry Davis of Turner and Central Cranes said as soon as he received the emergency calls from Orange City Council and Fire and Rescue he dispatched a mobile crane.
“We knew we had to get there as quickly as possible because the pony was in distress,” he said.
Ms Burnheim said she would keep Fuzz under observation with a course of antibiotics and plenty of fluids.
