Gary Hayes was repairing the roof of historic stables at the Birchwood Homestead in Ahuriri Conservation Park last week when he heard a cry for help from Angie Leckey, whose horse Manuka was in trouble.
Manuka had launched himself over the front bar of his horse float, was head down to the ground and trapped.
‘‘She [Angie] asked if I knew anything about horses and I said, ‘no, but I’ll help’. The horse couldn’t breathe. It was stuck on the partition in the float and had slumped over to one side. It was going to die,’’ Mr Hayes said.
‘‘I used my angle grinder to cut away the metal partition. We were trying to calm the horse as sparks were flying. We managed to get part of the wall down so the horse could put its front legs on the floor and it started to breathe again.’’
Firefighters and vet Mikaela Crawford from Blue Cross arrived and Manuka was helped out of the float.
‘‘I was so relieved. I have absolutely no experience with horses, so I was just running on adrenaline. The vet checked it out and it seemed fine, if a little wobbly,’’ Mr Hayes said.
Manuka has since fully recovered from his ordeal.
Ms Leckey, who runs Adventure Horse Trekking NZ, said the team wanted to extend their ‘‘heartfelt thanks’’ to those involved in the rescue, especially the quick-thinking actions of Mr Hayes and his co-worker Emily Hull ‘‘who went the extra mile to help’’.
‘‘With the closest Fenz trucks over 40 minutes away, it was only due to the quick actions of the Doc staff who were able to remove the partition using their tools which allowed the horse to continue breathing and stay in place until we arrived,’’ Chief Fire Officer Jack Zorab, of Omarama, said.
‘‘Without the angle grinder I don’t know how I would’ve saved him,’’ Mr Hayes said.
‘‘It was just so lucky we were up there repairing these amazing historic stables. It really was a day to remember.’’
