A Clydesdale has had a relatively lucky escape after sustaining only minor injuries after falling into a 5-metre-deep well at Donald in western Victoria.
The gelding, named Soxz, fell down the unused well on a rural property after walking onto some wooden sleepers that covered the shaft.
His owner heard the splash and found the six-year-old submerged in water.
RSCPA Victoria, the Country Fire Authority and a local veterinarian were called to the rescue, which initially involved pumping water out of the well.
Paul Hanish from the Donald CFA said it was quite an unusual rescue situation.
"The owner was holding the horse's head up and as you can imagine the horse was quite distressed," he said.
"It was a little bit of a head-scratcher initially because we did have to work out the plan on how we were going to actually get the horse out and ensure no further injury."
A full recovery expected
The rescue on Tuesday ended up taking four hours.
"We sedated the horse, calmed it down, put some slings around its belly and carefully raised it and put it back on the deck with minimal injury," Mr Hanish said.
"It took a little bit of skin off the front legs when he fell in, but he seems to be OK now and getting on with things."
RSPCA Victoria inspector Jeremy Dean attended the rescue and said it was an incredible team effort.
"The CFA, the Oscar-1 Emergency Response team and the local vet were incredible," Mr Dean said.
"There was a huge amount of precision required to lift Soxz to safety using the winches and crane, generally seen used in mine rescues."
The RSPCA is assisting with Soxz's recovery and rescue costs to ensure he makes a full recovery.
Mr Dean said the gelding only sustained minor injuries and that a full veterinary check-up found no internal injuries or fractures.
"As an inspector, we see a lot of heartbreaking stories, but [this] was a true good-news story," he said.
"It was an honour to reunite Soxz with his owner and know that he hasn't suffered any lasting physical damage, despite a few cuts and bruises."
