A horse was rescued after falling into an underground vault in Riverside Saturday night.
The horse fell into the hole near Arlington Avenue and Phoenix Avenue in Riverside around 9:5 p.m.
The city of Riverside has its own horse and rescue team called H.A.R.T. (Horse Animal Rescue Team) which responded to the incident, fire officials said.
The rescue ended shortly after 10 p.m. when the horse was able to jump out of the hole in the ground and onto street level.
Aerial footage from NewsChopper 4 showed a second horse standing safely nearby the rescue scene.
“It’s too dangerous for us to get in the hole with the animal until the animal is medicated so that was all ready to go. However when the vet arrived on scene, the horse got out on its own and we didn’t have to rescue it," said Fire Battalion Chief Jeff DeLaurie of the Riverside City Fire Department.
A veterinarian at the scene examined the horse and determined his only injuries were lacerations on both legs that should heal.
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The vault was covered by a metal grate that appeared to give way under the weight of the horse that was being walked on the sidewalk with another horse.
City News Service contributed to this report.
