All's 'Well' That Ends Well: Rescuing Butter

We all love a horse rescue story with a happy ending. And that is precisely what little Butter got after the miniature horse fell down a 60-foot well in California.

Little Butter had been walking over a plywood-covered well when the wood gave way and she plummeted 15 feet down into the well.

“In all efforts to save Butter, the water from the well was siphoned, indicating that the well was actually 60 feet deep,” read an Instagram post from the Riverside County Animal Services (RCAS) who participated in rescuing the mini.

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A cream-coloured mini horse in an outdoor stall.

Butter resting after her ordeal. (RCAS Facebook)

According to the Sacramento Bee, firefighters with the CAL FIRE/Riverside County Fire Department used a sling to life the 350-pound 12-year-old horse, “and she was safely hoisted up using a front-loader,” officials told the paper. The little horse was “visibly shaking” during the rescue operation.

But such a dramatic fall was cause for concern. And according to the RCAS Facebook page, the rescuers were afraid that such a severe drop would have either maimed or outright killed Butter. But once she was lifted out of the well and examined by Dr. Itzel Vizcarra of Riverside County Animal Services it was determined that the horse didn’t have any serious injuries.

“We were all amazed she came out without any major trauma,” Dr. Vizcarra said in the post. “This was a huge team effort by many rescuers, so it’s uplifting to learn Butters will be OK.”

The little palomino was returned to her owner and sent to her regular vet for further examination, where it was confirmed that the injuries were minor and she would be just fine.

We told you it was a happy ending!