A horse that fell through the ice of an upstate New York pond was saved by rescuers who pulled together fiercely on ropes to free the animal from the frigid water
Horse Rescued After Falling Through Ice in Upstate New York
A horse that plunged into the icy waters of an upstate New York pond was saved by a group of determined rescuers who worked together to pull the animal to safety.
Body-camera footage captured the dramatic rescue, showing Saratoga Springs police officers and neighbors joining forces to free Sly, a 1,300-pound (590-kilogram) quarter horse, late Monday afternoon. The video shows Sly struggling to keep his front legs above water as rescuers shouted encouragement, counting down to synchronized pulls with cries of “One, two, three, pull!” and “C’mon, baby. We got ya!”
Sly’s owner, Ali Ernst, first spotted her three horses playing on the frozen pond when she returned home from work—a common sight. But when she checked again, the 22-year-old horse had fallen through the ice.
Ernst quickly called for help and rushed to the pond, grabbing Sly’s halter to keep his head above water until help arrived.
“I was losing the battle to keep him above water alone,” Ernst said in a phone interview Wednesday.
Officer Kyle Clinton was the first on the scene, helping Ernst lift Sly’s head onto the ice. Two more officers, neighbors, and family members soon joined, tying a rope to Sly’s halter. Eventually, they secured three ropes around him.
“I threw all the rope in the hole and just started pulling back, hoping I’d caught a hind leg—and I did,” Ernst recalled. “We all just started to pull.”
After several minutes, Sly was free and able to stand. He was taken to Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital, where Ernst works as a technician. Sly was initially hypothermic but recovered well enough to return home by Wednesday—though his ice-playing days are officially over.
“There’s an electric fence up around the pond now,” Ernst said.