Two horses flee enclosure, fall into icy backyard pool as Quebec town rallies in rescue attempt
WARNING -- This story contains images some may find distressing
Two runaway horses were discovered in a backyard swimming pool Friday in Hemmingford, Que., about an hour south of Montreal.
The horses had already been on the run for hours, locals say, escaping from a nearby enclosure.
During the night, Francois Pouliot says he was woken up by his dog barking.
“He wasn’t calming down. So I said, ‘there’s something going on outside’,” said Pouliot. “We started to look around, and I found two horses in the driveway.”
He says the horses made their way to the middle of town. Meanwhile, an entourage of locals had started searching for them.
Somehow, they wandered into a nearby backyard, and fell through the ice over a family swimming pool. It’s unclear how long they were submerged. Sean Hadley got a frantic call from his mother, who owns the pool, at around 8:30 a.m.
“She goes, ‘well, they’re in the pool,’ and she was a little frantic,” he said, recouting the call. “I came right down to find two horses.”
Pouliot had also come to the house to try to hoist the horses out. One of them had become trapped in the frigid water under the protective tarp and couldn’t be saved.
“I just realized a horse just like fell and died in our hands,” he told CTV. “And right away, you had no time to cry or whatever. It’s like ‘okay, there’s another one right there. We can save this one.’ It takes a lot of adrenaline.”
A Quebec provincial police car is seen parked at a residence in Hemmingford, Que., where two horses escaped from their enclosure and fell into a nearby backyard pool. One of the horses died, while the other was taken into the care of an animal shelter.
In a post to social media, nearby animal shelter RefugeRR confirmed it took the surviving horse into its care.
“She is safe, warm and we are hoping she does not develops pneumonia from all the water in her lungs,” wrote the shelter. “This poor mare also watched her friend drown right in front of her.”
“Thank you so much to the citizens of Hemmingford, and fire department for working so hard to get her out of the water,” it added.
The shelter says the horse is already undergoing treatment, and will receive “life-long care.”
As for the owner of the horse, the SPCA says it has seized three of his dogs, and provincial officials will visit him in the coming days.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Russia puts Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on its wanted list
Russia has put Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on its wanted list, Russian state media reported Saturday, citing the interior ministry’s database.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
Two killed after collision with truck on Hwy. 417 near Limoges, Ont.
Ontario Provincial Police say two people were killed after a car and a transport truck collided in the westbound lanes of Highway 417 near Limoges, Ont. on Tuesday afternoon.
Quebec man who threatened Trudeau, Legault online sentenced to 20 months in jail
A Quebec man who pleaded guilty to threatening Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Premier François Legault has been sentenced to 20 months in jail.
Explosion at train station leads to discovery of stolen car on Montreal's South Shore: police
Police are investigating after a BMW exploded in the St-Lambert Exo train station parking lot on Montreal's South Shore.
The pros and cons of discussing mental health issues in the workplace
A group of lawyers has written what they call a groundbreaking book about how mental health is perceived in the legal profession.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.