Horses trapped in a frozen lake (Video)

Gunther and Wilhelm, two 15-year-old Clydesdale horses, live at Quiet Valley Living Historical Farm near Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania. On a frigid day, the two horses broke through their fence and went on a bit of an adventure. Unfortunately, the two 1,500 pounds animals ran straight onto a frozen lake and that’s when the trouble really began. With a sickening crack, the ice broke beneath their feet and the two huge animals fell through the ice. Submerged in about 10 feet of water, the panicked creatures were unable to escape on their own. After a neighbor spotted the frightening scene and called 911, emergency personnel from several towns responded in a daring attempt to rescue the terrified horses.

“I saw two horse heads sticking up out of the ice. That was the only thing you saw,” said Blue Ridge Hook & Ladder Fire Company Chief Leon Clapper. First responders immediately set to work using a boat to cut a path through the ice and placed rescue ropes around the horses, leading them back to shore. Like many small towns, word soon spread about the horse’s predicament and soon neighbors were flocking to the scene to offer their help. “Some of the other neighbors were horse people so they went and got heaters, their blankets and stuff like that. It was, you know, one hell of a team effort,” said Chief Clapper.

The rescue turned out to be an emotional moment

Milton Mosier, the farm manager at Quiet Valley, said that the rescue turned out to be an emotional moment for all involved. “Most men are tough but it was very emotional when I saw them out there and just felt a little helpless,” said Milton. After about an hour in the icy waters, the horses were close to exhausting what was left of their energy, but their intrepid human rescuers weren’t about to let this day end in tragedy. After attaching the rope to them, the whole team started to pull carefully, until both steeds made it to land. At long last the two horses were pulled to the shore and immediately placed under warm blankets and tended to by the caring animal lovers in their community. Watch the video, the rescuers worked against the clock to save the animals.