Horse Rescue Goes Swimmingly ... provided by HARPS

On Wednesday afternoon, October 2, Donna Ewing of HARPS (Hooved Animal Rescue & Protection Society) received a call to help with a horse who had fallen into a Barrington Hills swimming pool. Donna and two of her volunteers immediately drove to the location. Three of the neighbor’s horses had broken out earlier in the day; two had been captured and were being led back to their paddock, but a bay gelding named Grendahl was still loose. The horse tried to walk across the tarp which covered an in-ground swimming pool. Obviously not made to hold his weight, it collapsed and he was plunged into the water. The homeowner’s friend, a local horse trainer, was able to free him from the entanglement of tarp and had him standing quietly in three foot of water at the pool’s shallow end when Donna and her volunteers arrived. The attending veterinarian had already administered a tranquilizer to help keep the frightened horse quiet.

On site were approximately ten Barrington Hills fire and police officers, two equine veterinarians, numerous neighbors and other bystanders. The trainer had already attempted to walk him out using the corner steps but the pool bottom was slippery and he had fallen so the decision was made to wait for the Police Department to arrive with a 14 foot long, 36 inch wide ramp. Noticing that the horse's shoes were causing him to slip, it was decided that it would be much safer to remove them from all four feet. A neighbor and the vet jumped in the pool and began removing the shoes. Once the ramp arrived, several lead ropes were arranged to guide him up it. The ramp was secured to two large trees by members of the police and fire departments. As the horse started up the ramp, he slipped and panicked causing him to fall back into the pool. It was now over two hours that the animal had been standing in the chilly water, now he was completely soaked and started to shiver. Blankets were brought from his owner's barn and he was covered to protect him from the cool evening air.
A backhoe driver doing excavation work down the street was enlisted to help the unlucky horse. He maneuvered the large machine alongside the pool and lowered the bucket so that a makeshift harness could be attached to it. Grendahl was given another calming injection, cotton was stuffed in his ears. Donna removed her sweatshirt and used it to blindfold the horse. The backhoe driver gently lifted him out of the water, swung the bucket to his left and attempted to lower him onto the grass in a standing position.. Unfortunately, Grendahl was too relaxed. His legs were so numb that it took several minutes for the horse to regain his composure and muster enough strength to stand on his own four legs. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief to see him finally out of that pool. He seemed quite eager to walk back to the safety of his own paddock just a few hundred yards away.

It became very apparent that there was a tremendous need for an adequate horse sling. The next day Donna ordered one for HARPS that she helped New Bolton Horse Clinic design almost 30 years ago. "This sling will be available for downed, starving horses as well as any other emergencies," said Ewing, "the job would have been made much easier, safer and quicker if we had a sling to begin with." This was the second "horse in pool" incident in Barrington Hills in the last 6 years. God forbid it happens again, but if it does, they’ll be more prepared.