From Iceland — Horse Daringly Rescued From A Ditch In Grímsnes

Horse Daringly Rescued From A Ditch In Grímsnes

Published July 7, 2020

Catherine Magnúsdóttir
Photo by
María Kristín Jónsdóttir & Dagur Spói Birtu & Atlason.

Last weekend, a horse named Esja was found stuck in a big mud ditch at Árveg in Grímsnes.

The mare was discovered by 11 year old Dagur Spói and his cousins Salvör and Vaka, who had gone out for a walk to greet the local horses. They immediately alerted their relatives to Esja’s distress and a rescue mission commenced.

Birta Flókadóttir, Dagur Spói’s mother, and her uncle Sigurður Ingi Bjarnason underwent the daring operation with the help of Didda, a local farmer at Bjarnastaðir, who brought his tractor to help lift the horse. Birta told Fréttablaðið that she suspects Esja was looking for some tasty grass and was thus tempted down into the ditch where she was subsequently submerged.

After two attempts, Esja was finally pulled from the cold mud, where she had presumably been stuck for several hours.

Birta Flókadóttir said to the paper that she was always optimistic about the operation even though she had to work with an injured finger—which Esja came close to hitting during one of the rescue attempts.

Birta. Photo by María Kristín Jónsdóttir & Dagur Spói Birtu & Atlason.

Esja is reported to be fine, relaxed and happy again after her misadventure. Lucky for us, the horse’s recovery was caught on film, which you can watch below.

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