Horse Rescued From Ravine After Falling 40 Feet

It is a happy ending for a Clearlake family, after a 5 hour successful rescue of their horse.

Firefighters rescue horse from ravine in north Keizer Photo: Marion Co. Fire District #1

(KEIZER, Ore.) - Sunday at about 7:00 AM, firefighters from Marion County Fire District #1 and support personnel from Turner Fire District responded to Wheatland Rd. NE near River Rd NE to assist a local resident with an injured horse.

Officials say the horse had become frightened from a night on the loose and sometime early morning, fell approx 40 feet down a cliffs edge, landing in a ravine below.

Although the horse had minor injuries, it was entangled in trees, brush and blackberry vines and was unable to remove itself from the ravine. The family called 9-1-1 and within minutes personnel were on the scene surveying the incident.

Due to unstable ground conditions, and because the horse was frightened, the family's local horse veterinarian responded and sedated the animal to assure firefighter and the animal's safety. While the horse was sedated, the fire district personnel began tree & limb cutting as well as brush clearing.

The fire district personnel, along with the horse's owner, were then able to assist the horse back to its feet, and walked the horse back out of the ravine. After the extrication, the horse was loaded into the family's horse trailer, and the horse was transported back to the family's farm for further care by the veterinarian.

The horse is expected to make a full-recovery.