News: Horses + ice-skating = FAIL

We’ve seen at least four news reports of horses falling into pools or frozen ponds since the weekend. Here’s a roundup:

Top photo: Wikimedia Commons

A blind horse named Payton fell into a swimming pool on Sunday in Vigo County, Indiana. (Read the full story here.)

Meanwhile, in Ashville, New York, emergency crews rescued a horse named Shorty from a frozen creek yesterday. The horse fell through the ice and was submerged up to his nose. (Read the full story here.)

In Newburg, Pennsylvania, over the weekend, a horse wandered onto a frozen pond, fell through four-inch ice and was discovered with its head sticking out by a farmer. The horse was pulled out and seems OK. (Read the full story here.)

And, in Toronto this morning, another horse was rescued from a pond by firefighters. The horse is OK. (Read the full story here.)

Moral of the story: If your horse lives in a pasture containing a pond that might freeze over this time of the year, take the appropriate precautions–a few t-posts and some neon-colored caution tape can go a long way.

Oh yeah, and if your horse is blind, don’t let it anywhere near a swimming pool.

Go Safety.