It took firefighters nearly two hours to free a 1,000-pound horse that had been stuck in mud in a remote area of the Hansen Dam Recreation Area in the San Fernando Valley on Saturday afternoon, authorities said.
The 14-year-old Peruvian Paso did not suffer any injuries, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department, which initially underestimated the animal’s weight at 800 pounds.
The Fire Department announced the rescue operation at noon.
“The horse appears to be (and the uninjured female rider strongly concurs) in minimal distress,” the agency said in a statement just before 2 p.m.
Firefighters were working on decontaminating the mud-covered equine, rider and other responders, the Fire Department said.