NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. – New Smyrna Beach police have rescued a horse that apparently fell off a bridge and was stuck in "quicksand like" mud for hours on Wednesday.
According to police, a woman was walking her horse, named Leila, near Doris Leaper Park when the horse fell off the bridge and got stuck in mud.
The horse was stuck up to its neck and was in distress, according to the police event sheet. Police had to sedate the horse to help her settle down for the rescue.
[PICS: Horse rescued from mud]
The owner tells Local 6 she was just praying the horse would be OK.
"I was just telling her she'd be OK, she's like my best friend so she'd be OK," Monica Eastman said. "She was actually more worried about hurting me."
Local 6 news helicopter Sky 6 flew over the preserve off of Creek Shore Trail as numerous law enforcement vehicles gathered near the wooded area. A person was shown leading another horse into the woods to look for the trapped animal.
"My first thought was get her head of the the water, so I got her head and told her to calm down and we just waited for some help," Eastman said.
Leila is 28 years old, which in adult years would be around 70 years old, according to officials.
No other information was immediately available.
Watch Local 6 for more on this story.