A helpless horse was left treading water for two hours, fighting for its life, after it fell into a water tank near Invercargill yesterday.
A Fire and Emergency New Zealand (Fenz) spokesman said crews from Kingswell, Invercargill and Wallacetown stations were called to a Makarewa address at 8.45am yesterday after a horse at the property fell in to a water tank.
"The horse was stuck in a water tank for a house supply.
"It was a ground-height water tank that had a wooden roof.
"He’d managed to find his way up there and has fallen through the roof and down in to the water tank."
The horse was paddling around the water tank, unable to touch the floor for at least two hours.
When the fire service arrived, the horse was distressed and struggling to keep its head above the water.
Fenz crews pumped some of the water out of the tank and once the horse could touch the ground, workers entered in to the tank.
After two hours of equipment setup Fenz used a Hiab crane truck to lift the horse from the tank with assistance and advice from a veterinarian.
The horse had a few "cuts and grazes", but appeared all right after the ordeal.
