Couple Floating Down River Sees Splashing Near Shore, Springs Into Action in the Nick of Time
A western Montana couple was able to save a horse from drowning on Father’s Day, and may have made a new friend in the process.
Matthew and Christina Eickholt of Hamilton were floating down the Bitterroot River on Sunday with Matthew’s parents when they noticed some splashing near the shore.
They soon realized it was a horse fighting the current as it tried to get out of the river in a spot where the water was about 10 feet deep.
“He was breathing super heavy,” Matthew Eickholt told the Ravalli Republic.
“Its eyes were all bugged out. At times, all we could see was its teeth above water. It was snorting. I think it may have been 30 seconds to a minute from going under.”
The Eickholts pulled to shore at a shallower spot in the river just downstream from the horse.
“We started clapping and yelling,” Matthew Eickholt said.
“We were able to coax him to come downstream. When he saw us, I think he knew we were there to help him. Once he got to us, he was able to pull himself out of there.”
“He was a super nice horse,” he said. “We were all so happy that it turned out the way it did.”
Two days later, the couple was floating down the same stretch of river with Christina’s parents when they spotted the horse and pulled over to say hello.
“The horse remembered us and came running up to us with his two friends,” Christina Eickholt said.
The Eickholts haven’t yet learned who the horses belong to.
In a Tuesday Facebook post, Christina wrote: “Hoping to visit the horse every time we float our favorite route!”
The Western Journal has reviewed this Associated Press story and may have altered it prior to publication to ensure that it meets our editorial standards.
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