A horse and its rider had to be rescued after getting stuck in the mud near the Santa Ana River Sunday in Riverside County, authorities confirmed to KTLA.
It’s unclear if the horse and rider were riding off trail in the area when they got stuck, but crews with the Riverside County Fire Department responded to the 2700 block of Shadow Canyon Circle in Eastvale at around 1:40 p.m. on reports of a horse in the river.
A horse rescued from mud on the shore of the Santa Ana River in Norco being lowered by RCFD helicopter to safety on Mar. 31, 2024. (Viewer photo) 
A horse rescued from mud on the shore of the Santa Ana River in Norco being lowered by RCFD helicopter to safety on Mar. 31, 2024. (Viewer photo) 
Crews with the Riverside County Fire Department on the scene of a water rescue involving a horse on Mar. 31, 2024. (RCFD)
While an animal rescue team from the city of Norco was dispatched to help with the rescue, an RCFD helicopter was deployed to assist in the search for the rider, authorities said in a post to X, formerly Twitter.
Just before 4:30 p.m., officials said the rider had been located and was uninjured, and that rescue teams had “entered the wash” and were able to pull the horse from the mud.
Video obtained by KTLA showed the helicopter bringing the horse, whose name is reportedly Conquistador, safely back to a pen.
