A 1,000 pound horse named Blizzard dropped to the ground of his stall on Smith Road in Penn Forest Township Wednesday morning - and he wasn’t getting up on his own.

But thanks to assistance from emergency responders, the equine was on his feet a few hours later.

“We do have some equipment (for lifting large animals) but when I got there, there wasn’t time to get that equipment there,” explained Frank Beckett, coordinator of Carbon County Animal Response Team.

Luckily, Beckett said, the Penn Forest Fire companies have an agreement that allows them to use township equipment when needed.

“They had a backhoe, which was basically right around the corner from where the incident happened,” Beckett said of the road department truck. “We adapted, improvised and overcame.”

Fire company volunteers were able to move Blizzard from the stall with the help of air bags and other equipment as the backhoe was on its way.

“When I got there, the horse was already out and on the ground,” he said.

When the backhoe arrived, Beckett, who’s trained in large animal rescue, determined what type of straps they’d need to secure the horse. Veterinarians were also on hand to keep Blizzard comfortable and make sure he wouldn’t be injured.

“We ended up getting the straps around the horse and picking it up with a backhoe,” he said. “We hoisted it into the air.”

Responders couldn’t just plop the horse down, Beckett noted.

“From laying down for as long as it was laying down, it had atrophy,” he said.

To help Blizzard’s atrophied muscles, those on the scene took turns massaging his legs.

“The horse eventually was able to stand on its own, and by 3 p.m., we ended up walking it to a trailer so his owner could take him to a veterinary hospital for evaluation,” Beckett said.

He noted that many fire company volunteers turned out to help.

“These guys followed directions to the letter,” he said. “They were tremendous.”

Asked if Carbon CART volunteers have helped horses before, Beckett said, “Heck, yeah. We’ve lifted quite a few.”

Carbon CART is always seeking volunteers. Anyone interested is asked to contact ccart@ptd.net.

On hand for the rescue were Penn Forest Fire companies No. 1 and 2, and All Points Equine of Orefield.