By Mark Price
The Charlotte Observer
WESLEY CHAPEL, N.C. — A North Carolina homeowner woke up to a horse standing in their swimming pool and chief among the many questions was how to get it out.
The discovery was made around 9 a.m. on Sunday, Sept. 10, in the 8500 block of Foxbridge Drive in Wesley Chapel, and the homeowner called the Wesley Chapel Volunteer Fire Department around 1 p.m. Wesley Chapel is about 22 miles southeast of Uptown Charlotte.
Firefighters “arrived to find a 1,200-pound horse in a 6-foot pool,” officials said.
The horse, named Ms. Lexi, is believed to have become frightened during a severe storm late Saturday, and somehow fell, jumped or galloped into the below-ground pool, officials said. There she stood through the night, calmly waiting for someone to notice.
It was nearly 3 p.m. Sunday when rescuers from multiple departments got Ms. Lexi out, and photos show it was not a dignified exit.
“Crews ended up making a mechanical advantage rope system, pulling the horse out of the pool on a large slide board,” the Wesley Chapel Volunteer Fire Department reported.
“Crews then used a tow truck and large animal straps to stand the horse upright. Ms. Lexi was finally on her feet 3 hours after initial dispatch. A vet was standing by on scene to render aid to Ms. Lexi.”
The horse belongs to the property owner, and no injuries were reported. Photos show a wrecker helped get Ms. Lexi back on her feet.
Among the departments responding were elements of the Cabarrus County Large Animal Rescue Task Force, Midland Fire and Rescue, and the Georgeville Fire Department, officials said.
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