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Fire, EMS save 40-year-old horse from icy creek

Posted at 6:25 PM, Jan 21, 2016
and last updated 2016-01-21 18:32:55-05

GOSHEN, Ohio  - The 911 call caught rescuers off guard.

The caller said her 40-year-old horse, Cinnamon, was trapped in a frozen creek.

"A horse ... that's an unusual rescue for us," said Paul Hasenmeier, Goshen Fire and EMS Deputy Chief.

Cinnamon's owner, Denise Blomer, said she was in a panic.

"We put the horses out for a few hours yesterday and then we went to put them in their stalls last night," Blomer said.

But when she called them, one of their four horses didn't come back.

"I was hysterical. I couldn't even talk. I thought that was it. I was prepared to put her down,"  Blomer said. "Me and my husband couldn't get her out. I said,  'We have to call in help.' "

Blomer has a special attachment to Cinnamon. She was 13 when Cinnamon was born here 40 years ago.

Blomer feared the worst. Cinnamon couldn't get her footing, and the horse was getting tired.

But then the Goshen Fire and EMS came to the rescue.

"Not only did they come, other firemen came that just heard the calls," Blomer said.

"She was cold shivering and weak," Hasemeier said.

The rescuers spent an hour with rope and pulleys to get Cinnamon to safety.

"About seven or eight guys just to help pull and lift and stand her upright to get her standing up for a little bit," Hasemeier said.

Even at the age of 40, Cinnamon still weighs in at half a ton.

Blomer rushed her to the vet, and now she's back to normal.

 "The vet said she's very strong, even after last night," Blomer said.

Just to be safe, she'll stay warm and cozy in her stall, complete with blanket.

"Without those guys, she would be dead today," a grateful Blomer said.