Teenagers rescue eight horses stranded in severe flooding
Horse rescue this morning with Stephanie Jasperse and Anya JohnstonPosted by Kyla Jasperse on Friday, July 21, 2017
The dramatic rescue of a group of eight horses has been caught on camera.
The horses in Dunedin, New Zealand, were stranded in their field as a result of severe flooding in the area on the weekend of 22 July.
They were stuck in water up to their stomachs and unable to reach higher ground without assistance.
Event riders Stephanie Jasperse, 17, and Anya Johnston, 18, battled through the water to reach the horses, after being asked to help. Their own horses were stabled elsewhere and not affected by the floods.
Stephanie’s mother Kyla filmed the rescue.
“The flooding was much more severe than was forecast,” Kyla told H&H.
“There were eight horses and only three of them were halter trained.”
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Thankfully Stephanie and Anya were able to guide the group to safety, each leading a horse, with the rest of the herd following behind.
“I am very proud of the girls as they stayed very calm and planned each move before doing anything — including removing fences and ensuring that gates were secured open — all in water that at times was mid-chest and in places moving.”
The horses, who belonged to the same owner, were mostly youngstock, as well as a hunter and dressage horse.
They were moved 500m along a road to higher ground and thankfully all escaped injury.
H&H recommends that UK readers call the fire service if they find horses stranded by flooding and await their expertise, rather than trying to rescue them themselves due to the potential danger
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Rachael joined Horse & Hound in 2014, initially as a digital sub editor then became part of the news team as a writer in 2015. The philosophy graduate studied journalism at the Press Association before working as a local reporter at the Brentwood Gazette. Rachael is now a mum of two and still loves all things equestrian, including hacking, dressage and jumping with her cob Bert. Rachael left the H&H staff to go freelance in June 2019, but still contributes to our magazine and website, as well as our sister magazine Country Life, among others.