Nicole Graham runs an equine dentistry business near Geelong, south of Melbourne and was out for an afternoon ride with her daughter when her horse, 18 year old Astro, suddenly started to sink as he stumbled into a mud hole.
Before she could shout a warning, the smaller horse her daughter Paris was riding also started to sink.
Dragging herself free, she managed to get her daughter and her horse out and onto solid ground and rushed back to her beloved Astro who continued to slowly sink further and further into the mud that had turned to quicksand.
Paris ran to their car and phoned for help while her mother stayed close to Astro for three terrifying hours, keeping his head high as the tide started to come in.
"I’ve been riding here for 20 years and never had a drama. I’ve never seen any signs and didn’t realise it was so boggy" Nicole said.
When fire fighters arrived, they tried to use hoses and a winch to no avail and a local farmer provided a tractor and a veterinary team and a helicopter was organised and on standby as a last resort.
After Vet Stacey Sullivan sedated Astro, he was successfully dragged from the mud by the farmer’s tractor.
A truly gutsy effort by a very brave woman.
And a happy ending.
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