While her daughter called for help, Nicole Graham held her trapped horse and kept its head above the mud for more than three hours. Throughout this time, she tried to calm him, fearing he might drown if not freed quickly…
Anyone who has ever been at sea knows that it can be unpredictable. One thing you should never underestimate is the tide; it can be dangerous if you’re in the wrong place at the wrong time. The tide can catch people and animals off guard, swallowing them in seconds and, in some cases, leading to a slow and horrific death.
That is exactly what almost happened to an 18-year-old horse named Astro. Astro’s owner, Nicole Graham, and her daughter were riding on the beach near Geelong, south of Melbourne, Australia.
After a while, the horses found themselves in soft sand, with the ground beneath them turning into a deadly, muddy trap. Nicole’s daughter and her horse managed to escape, but Nicole and Astro sank deeper into the mud. Nicole spent three hours by Astro’s side in a desperate fight for survival.
The longer Astro remained in the mud, the more desperate the situation became. During this time, Nicole had to keep her 450-kilogram horse calm to prevent him from sinking further. After three hours, Astro was on the verge of suffocation and at risk of dying from both dehydration and exhaustion. To make matters worse, the tide was rising.
