It seems the weather over the past few weeks has been rough for man and beast alike as Dawson County Emergency Services responded to the 1300 block of Hugh Stowers Road last week.

Upon arrival, EMS units found a horse stuck in an apparent sink hole in a field with several people attempting to free the animal.

"The owners tried to get it out of the hole for about an hour or so," said Tim Satterfield, Dawson County Fire deputy chief. "Finally, the owner's daughter walked down to the station to ask for help."

The gelding had been found in the hole earlier that morning and several attempts to free the animal had been unsuccessful.

"We dug down around [the horse] some to clear the area and then used a fire hose as a makeshift harness and pulled the horse out with a tractor," Satterfield said.

During the rescue, the horse was given oxygen and cooled due to the high temperatures and humidity.

"Once it was out and we cooled it down, the horse stood up on its own," Satterfield said. "We kept it calm until a vet got there. She checked him out and said he was stressed but fine."