LAKELAND, Fla., Dec. 6 (UPI) -- Authorities in Florida rigged up a pulley system to rescue a horse that became submerged up to its head in a muck-filled pond.

The Polk County Sheriff's Office said deputies responded with members of the Agriculture Unit and used a Department of Agriculture State Agriculture Rescue Team Equipment Trailer to rescue the 20-year-old horse, which was trapped in about six feet of water with thick muck at the bottom.


"Only the head and small a portion of the horse's back were visible; the rest of the horse's body was submerged. The A-Frame rescue system was assembled and deployed. Polk County Fire Rescue Squad 591 and Fire Engine 111 responded to the scene assisting with the rope and pulley system used to extract the horse from the pond," the sheriff's office said. "Volunteer members of the PCSO Mounted Search and Rescue Team, or MSART, and two veterinarians also responded to assist."

The horse, which spent about 2 1/2 hours stuck in the pond, was hoisted to safety and determined to be in stable condition by veterinarians.

"The horse was then covered with a horse blanket and placed in a covered barn with hay for the evening," the sheriff's office said.