Dramatic rescue saves horse from icy pond in New York – KSAT San Antonio

February 27, 2025 ndowd

Michael Hill
Associated Press
Published: February 26, 2025 at 2:39 PM
Michael Hill
Associated Press
This image from body cam video, provided by Saratoga Springs Police, shows the rescue of Sly, a 1,300-pound horse that fell through ice of a pond in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., Monday, Feb. 24, 2025. (Saratoga Springs Police via AP)
A horse that fell through the ice of an upstate New York pond was saved by rescuers who pulled together to free the animal from the frigid water.
Body-camera footage from responding officers shows the team of Saratoga Springs police and neighbors grunting and straining to pull Sly, a 1,300 pound (590 kilogram) horse, from a hole in the ice late Monday afternoon. Sly can be seen flailing his front legs while rescuers shout “One, two three, pull!” and “C’mon, baby. We got ya!”
Recommended Videos
Sly’s owner, Ali Ernst, said she noticed her three horses playing on the pond when she came home from work, which was not uncommon. But when she looked out again, the 22-year-old quarter horse had fallen through the ice.
Ernst made a series of calls for help as she ran to the hole in the ice, grabbed Sly’s halter to keep his head up and waited for help.
“I was losing the battle to keep him above water alone,” she said in a phone interview Wednesday.
Officer Kyle Clinton arrived first and helped Ernst get Sly’s full head back up on the ice. They were soon joined by others, including two more officers, neighbors and family members.
They were initially able to tie a rope to the halter around Sly’s head. Eventually, the group of about nine people had three ropes on Sly, Ernst said.
“I threw all the rope in the hole and just started pulling it back in sheer hopes that I caught a hind leg, and I did, and we all just started to pull” she said.
Once out of the water, Sly was able to get to his feet after several minutes. He was sent to Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital, where Ernst works as a technician.
Ernst said Sly was initially hypothermic, but had recovered enough Wednesday to go back home, where playing on the ice was no longer allowed.
“There’s an electric fence up around the pond now,” she said.
Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Recommended Videos
Email Newsletters
KSAT RSS Feeds
Contests and Rules
Contact Us
KSAT Internships
Careers at KSAT
Closed Captioning / Audio Description
Public File
Current EEO Report
Terms of Use
Privacy Policy
Do Not Sell My Info
FCC Applications

If you need help with the Public File, call (210) 351-1200.
At KSAT, we are committed to informing and delighting our audience. In our commitment to covering our communities with innovation and excellence, we incorporate Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies to enhance our news gathering, reporting, and presentation processes. Read our article to see how we are using Artificial Intelligence.
Copyright © 2025 KSAT.com is managed by Graham Digital and published by Graham Media Group, a division of Graham Holdings.