For a blind, 30-year-old horse named Tam, the usual afternoon activity of grazing in the afternoon sun was thrown into a tailspin Friday when she took a wrong step, plunged into a large mud bog and nearly drowned.
But after a dramatic rescue that ended when emergency workers used a winch to pull the horse to safety, Tam was headed to the relative comfort of a nearby stable to convalesce.
Tam’s owner, Erika Reid, said she was returning from a ride with some friends when Tam, an appaloosa, came out to greet them, unaware that she was trotting into a large mudhole in a meadow on Larkin Valley Road.
“I saw her thrash and go under,” Reid said.
As Reid jumped into the mud and fought to keep Tam’s head from going under, a friend called emergency workers and animal control.
Although rescue workers arrived within 15 minutes, Reid was initially concerned that the horse would die of hypothermia or drowning. Either way, Reid wasn’t about to let that happen. She asked a veterinarian friend who had come to help to prepare to euthanize Tam. “She was shaking badly — we both were,” she said. “I was going to put her down rather than let her drown.”
But emergency crews arrived and immediately went to work.
Cal Fire of Pajaro Valley Battalion Chief Greg Estrada said that when rescue crews arrived, it was nearly too late.
“When we arrived, her head was on the verge of going under,” he said.
Almost immediately after she was pulled from the mud, Tam struggled to her feet, to the concerned whinnying of several other horses, one of whom was Tam’s 6-year-old colt, Tanner.
Despite Reid’s admonitions to stay in the meadow, the horses came across the bog — the shallow end this time — to comfort their muddy friend.
In addition to Cal Fire of Pajaro Valley, the Felton Fire Protection District’s Large Animal Rescue Team showed up to help pull Tam from the cold, deep mud.
Todd Stosuy, field manager for Santa Cruz County Animal Services, praised the actions of the rescue workers.
“Their response is crucial for the animals of Santa Cruz County,” he said. “Animal Services is grateful to both teams for such a quick response. It shows a dedication to the animals in our county.”
