Boom used to hoist horse trapped in river to high ground

A horse that got stuck in the mud in the Sun River was rescued thanks to passersby, a NorthWestern Energy crew with a boom truck and a Great Falls veterinarian who rushed to the scene.

A serendipitous series of factors probably saved the life of the horse, which was on the verge of giving up when help arrived, said Kelly Manzer, a veterinarian from Great Falls who responded to the scene.

“They went way beyond the call of duty,” Manzer said of the NorthWestern crew.

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It happened March 7, when Manzer received a call from Bill and Shonna Little.

Manzer owns K-Heart Veterinarian Service in Great Falls.

The Littles, who are clients of hers, were out test driving a car when they noticed a horse struggling in the mud of the Sun River near Manchester 9 miles northwest of Great Falls.

“I said, ‘OK, let me grab some boots, and I’ll be right there,’” Manzer said.

Manzer arrived to find a horse in the Sun River that was going into shock.

“She was just exhausted,” Manzer said.

The horse’s body was in the cold water. Its head was above the surface, but the horse could not get any footing in the mud to get out and up a steep, 7- to 10-foot-high bank.

By chance, NorthWestern Energy’s Rocky Zahara and his crew of Brian Warden, Flint Baker and Tayler Halco were working in the vicinity.

They offered their assistance. And they had a boom truck.

Manzer climbed down the bank and went to work trying to get straps around the 1,100-pound, chestnut colored mare.

The first attempts at raising the horse from the river failed.

“We didn’t have the straps on right,” Manzer said.

Manzer, working in the muddy water above the partially submerged horse, put a halter on to stabilize the horse’s head. And she created a makeshift sling, with straps around the horse’s girth, which is the chest area behind the front legs, and the rump near the tail. A cable from the truck’s boom was attached to the straps.

“Comin’ up! Comin’ up!” somebody yelled as the horse was pulled from the mud and up the steep bank.

The rescue was captured on video by Bill Little.

Once the horse was on solid ground, the sling was left on the horse until it could stand on its own.

The mare, an older animal, was covered with mud and shaking, but gradually recovered after rescuers dried her off.

It was lucky that the Littles happened to see the horse, and that the NorthWestern crew was working in the area, Manzer said.

The horse was taken to a nearby stable and kept over night, and the owners were notified. The next day, Manzer gave the horse an anti-inflammatory.

It was eating well and happy, Manzer said.