Cass County deputies and local rescue agencies assist in rescue of horse

ARGUSVILLE, N.D. (KVRR) — Several area residents and rescue agencies jumped into the Sheyenne River late Sunday evening to help a horse that became stuck in the mud.

“More than likely he slipped. He has one eye, so he might have fell in. But it was just kind of an isolated, freak incident. I mean, it could happen out here because we have rivers on both sides of our property as well,” said Connie Faulkner, Executive Director at Pride and Joy Rescue.

The horse, known as Sonny, was said to have been startled and ran south of his property located in Argusville. Sonny ended up with water up to his chest and stuck in up to 4 feet of mud.

Mitch Goodmanson, a Harwood resident, is family with the owners of Sonny and was told of the incident. Goodmanson went to work by staying by Sonny’s side and calming the horse down.

“I didn’t know how to calm a horse. I just told him in his ear Hey, we’re not going to die in this river and motivated him very firmly to move. And after a while, he started to break up some of the mud, then we were able to separate some of the mud and start floating,” said Goodmanson.

Faulkner and other rescuers from Valley Water Rescue, Casselton Veterinary Service, and Argusville Fire Department worked for more than an hour to assist in bringing Sonny out. The owners also brought along Sonny’s friend to keep him calm.

“This has probably been the most intense call we’ve been able to partake in. When we called our staff out, she brought halters and lead lines too, which turned out to be valuable because she dragged them down with. It was about a mile off the road to get to him. And she brought them with, so we were able to hook them up and pull him up to his feet,” said Faulkner.