Horse Rescue in the 5600 Block of Arlington Avenue

Published: 04/02/2017

The City of Riverside Fire Department responded to a report of a rider fallen from a horse in the 5600 block of Arlington Avenue. When the first fire unit arrived on scene, they found a horse that had fallen into a utility vault. They immediately requested assistance from the City of Riverside?s Heavy Animal Rescue Team (HART). The HART team is made up of on-duty personnel from the fire departments Technical Rescue Team, as well as an on-call Veterinarian, and personnel from Riverside Police Departments mounted unit. The injuries to the horse were not immediately clear, but it did not look like the animal would be able to get out on its own. A crane was requested to assist rescue personnel with extricating the horse once it was sedated by the Veterinarian. While firefighters were preparing the horse for extrication from the vault, the animal made several unsuccessful attempts to get out of the hole. Finally, the horse was able to climb out of the hole with assistance from firefighters and the animal?s owner. The Horses injuries were assessed by the vet before it was released to its owner. The owner brought in a horse trailer to transport the animal to a personal veterinarian for further evaluation. Riverside Public Utilities is currently working to place a temporary cover of the open vault.