Blind horse rescued after fall into sinkhole

by J.J. KINDRED

Cross-posted from The Daily Times

LOUISVILLE, TN — A blind horse that was rescued after she fell into a sinkhole and was freed by Blount County firefighters and other rescuers Sunday evening remains stable at the Countryside Veterinarian Services in Louisville.

Star, a quarter horse mare owned by Jack and Jennifer Estep, of 3881 Quarry Road in Louisville, fell into the sinkhole on property next to theirs at about 4 p.m.

According to Blount County Fire Chief Doug McClanahan, the fire department received a call about the horse at about 4:30 p.m.

She was pulled from the hole about four hours later by rescue workers and four veterinarians, two from the University of Tennessee Veterinary Medical Center and the others from Countryside Veterinary Services.

McClanahan said everyone was ecstatic when Star was rescued alive and standing on her own.

“She was terrified, but I think the whole team that responded worked very well together,” he said. “The owners were very encouraging and very helpful throughout the rescue. It was a good, lucky day that she didn’t kill herself or break something, because it was a tremendous fall.

“Even though this was the first extrication, everything fell into place,” McClanahan continued. “This is a horse, but yes, this could be a person, too. We did it as swiftly as possible, and the tension was high. The horse took a deep breath when she was rescued, and I said, ‘Me too, honey.’”

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