A horse named Vertigo was trapped on a bridge. Then came fire-rescue and Dr. Trotter
A runaway horse named Vertigo was rescued late Wednesday after partially falling through a wooden pedestrian bridge at a park in Plantation.
Vertigo was being ridden by his owner along Northwest 118 Avenue, near Volunteer Park, when a passing car spooked him, said Aston Bright, spokesman for Plantation Fire Rescue.
He “reared up and freaked out,” Bright said.
When the owner got off to calm him down, Vertigo took off running into the park, at 12050 W. Sunrise Blvd. The 1,100-pound horse eventually made his way onto the park’s pedestrian bridge. That’s when several boards gave way and he fell.
He couldn’t get up. His right hind leg was trapped in the hole.
When Plantation Fire Rescue and Davie Fire Rescue’s specialized animal rescue unit for large animals (such as horses) arrived, Vertigo was flailing about and trying to escape. The situation looked bad, Bright said.
A 50-ton tow truck with a boom was called in to help hoist the horse out of the hole. The rescue went smoothly, except for one moment, when Vertigo is seen nearly kicking one of his rescuers while being lifted out of the hole.
Vertigo was eventually sedated and dragged off the bridge for a checkup with Dr. Tiffany Trotter, an equine veterinarian. He had lacerations on his leg but it didn’t appear to be fractured.
About an hour after the rescue, Vertigo then got up by himself.
“I think he’s doing really well, all things considered,” Trotter told Local 10. “The leg that was actually stuck under the bridge is the leg that he’s bearing more weight on. Which is a good sign.”
Plantation Fire Rescue later posted on Facebook that Vertigo is doing well and “is standing up on its own 4 feet.” He was set to get a full checkup Thursday.
Bright says this was the first horse rescue Plantation Fire had responded to in about 15 or 20 years. The team that rescued Vertigo is wishing him a full recovery filled with relaxation and yummy apples.
This story was originally published June 4, 2020 at 11:06 AM.
