A horse that was down for about 14 hours was rescued Sunday in Lehighton.

The Carbon County Animal Response Team, along with the Lehigh Valley County Animal Response Team, were able to rescue the horse without incident, according to Diane Sharpless, coordinator for CART.Sharpless said the group received a call that a horse was down at a stable at 736 Sand Quarry Road in Lehighton. The horse is owned by Bonnie David.The horse, a 31-year-old mare named Oreo, was down for about 10 hours before Carbon CART was called, Sharpless said."We were a bit concerned about her condition because it really shouldn't be down that long," Sharpless said. "There can be all kinds of complications."Sharpless said Carbon CART received a call from two people about the downed horse."We had four members from the Carbon County Animal Response Team, and we also had six or seven members from the Lehigh Valley Cart," she said. "We didn't have the equipment we needed, and the (Lehigh Valley CART) did; we were lucky with that."Sharpless said, "My emergency coordinator got on scene at about 11 a.m. Sunday, then the rest of the team came in pieces. We had everybody on scene and working on this by around 12:30 p.m."The East Penn Township Volunteer Fire Company was on hand, said Sharpless, who added they were "significant in helping.""They provided a truck ladder; it worked out quite well," she said. "They had to back in one of the firetrucks, and we were able to attach our haul system to the lift, in order to get her out of the stall."Sharpless said Oreo was lying down in the stall at the time of her rescue."She was lying down in the stall, and couldn't get up," she said. "I'm not sure why that happened, but it did."At that point, Sharpless said they were able to get Oreo hooked up to the glide, at which time they pulled her outside of the barn, as there was enough clearance overhead to hook up and lift her straight up."This was successful," she said. "We got her up, our team was massaging her and getting her circulation back in her legs, and had to walk her around for some time."Sharpless was quick to praise the efforts of all those involved."We have well-trained people there that had equipment and knew what to do," she said. "That's why we do all the training that we do; our people go through hundreds of hours of training.""Our team would like to send out a huge thank-you to East Penn Fire Department and Lehigh Valley CART for their assistance with this incident. Their help was invaluable."As incidents such as this suggest, Sharpless said Carbon CART is ready to assist animals in need."We are here to help," she said."If they need us, they shouldn't wait to call."Sharpless said CART is available to help with any animal emergency, large or small, one or more animals that need a response as a result of an emergency.CART is activated by a call to 911 only; they are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, Sharpless said."Anyone with an animal in an emergency situation should contact 911 as soon as possible for assistance, especially with a large animal," she said."Time can be critical to a positive outcome."The Carbon CART team is a volunteer team that aims to help animals during emergencies. Volunteers are always needed.For more information, attend a meeting, visit pasart.us or contact Sharpless at 570-778-6886.