Horse Stranded In Illinois Floodwaters Rescued 600 Feet From Shore

A dramatic rescue took a whole team of first responders.

We all know too well floodwaters can pose a whole new set of problems. Over the weekend, recent storms around Coon Creek in northern Illinois created some cold floodwaters.

It's believed that those waters swept away a horse overnight into Saturday and left the animal stranded.

According to the Marengo Fire & Rescue Districts on Facebook, the first crews got to the scene and found the horse 600 feet out in the water. The horse had a little footing on a small peninsula that was very difficult to get to, made worse by the strong current and depth (estimated 15 feet).

As the rescue efforts continued, more crews and a veterinarian arrived to help as they could from the shore.

Resources from the Mutual Aid Box Alarm System were requested. Swiftwater technicians and more people arrived to help.

It took about 20 people to move the horse from the water, finally onto the shore, where it was guided into a trailer to get checked out by the vet.

The horse was treated for hypothermia during the rescue.

The post thanks all of the responders and the community for jumping in to help.

Coon Creek is about a 28-mile long tributary in northern Illinois and empties into the Kishwaukee River. Over the weekend, several rivers and waterways around central and northern Illinois were under Flood Watches or Warnings because of the intense rain in the storms moving through.