A rescue team used a helicopter to hoist a horse that became stuck on a steep hill off a trail in Carmel Valley and get it back on flat ground.
The San Diego Fire-Rescue Department and San Diego Humane Society's Emergency Response Team were called at about 12:30 p.m. Thursday in regards to the rescue off State Route 56. In the middle of some brush was a horse who fell down a steep trail about 3/4 of a mile from the highway, authorities said.
Neither the horse, whose name was Mackey, nor her rider was harmed in the incident. A veterinarian was at the scene to medicate the equine so rescue crews could have an easier time getting it out of the brush.
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SkyRanger 7 captured aerial footage of a team of at least five people working to free the horse.
The horse was strapped into a harness and then lifted in the air. It hung along through the air for a few minutes before it was gently lowered to the ground where firefighters were waiting. The horse did unexpectedly dart away from rescue crews, but they caught up with it a short distance away after it fell in the brush.
The horse was able to stand back up and was walked to a trailer.
