A HORSE which slid over a bank and couldn't get up Wednesday afternoon was lucky - not because it had four horseshoes but because of the horse sense of Wheeling firefighters and others.
Wheeling and McMechen firefighters and a stable worker put their horse sense to work when they rescued the horse, which had gone over a bank at Oglebay Park with the rider still on it.
The rider, a young woman who had been riding with a friend, got up and called for help. Although the young woman suffered some bumps and bruises, she said she didn't need medical help, according to Jon Barry, investigator with the Wheeling Fire Department.
The horse, however, had other problems, because it was lying down on the hillside and couldn't get up.
Wheeling firefighters responded to the call for help with Engine 2 and investigator Barry.
"We got some help from the McMechen Volunteer Fire Department, which had a Ranger all-terrain vehicle," Barry said. Also providing assistance was a stable worker from Oglebay Park. "We were able to get the horse back on its feet and back on the trail."
The investigator estimated the rescue occurred around 4 p.m., and that was at the same time that a fire was being battled on the property, which is home to the Sisters of St. Joseph. Fighting that blaze were firefighters from Clearview, West Liberty, Triadelphia and Wheeling.
Barry said the trail was too narrow for a regular vehicle so the Ranger ATV was needed. It wasn't used in getting the horse back on its feet and up the hill as that was accomplished by five persons including four firefighters, but the ATV was utilized for transportation on the long trail.
It's obvious the horse rescue didn't involve "horseplay."
Pokas can be reached at timesleader@timesleaderonline.com.
