Graedawn Cruisin' Recovering Well After Rescue

Miracle horse Graedawn Cruisin' recovering well after epic mineshaft rescue

Staff writer
news.com.au
July 12, 20124:11PM

Graedawn Cruisin' is winched from the mine shaft near Herberton. Pics: Darryl Day Source: The Cairns Post

A HORSE which survived a six-hour rescue after falling down an abandoned mine shaft is on track to make a miraculous recovery.

Graedawn Cruisin' fell 5m down the shaft in Herberton last Thursday and emerged hypothermic and injured hours later after an epic rescue effort.

A HORSE which survived a six-hour rescue after falling down an abandoned mine shaft is on track to make a miraculous recovery.

Owners Graeme and Rose Cameron have since returned home to Mackay, while the 10-year-old gelding continues its recovery on the property of Tableland vet John Robertson, The Cairns Post reports.

"He's really good," Mrs Cameron said. "He's out of the vet clinic and at the home of John Robertson and he's just recuperating.

"His eyes are really good and the swelling on his face has gone down."

Horse rescue: emergency services wrapped Dawn Cruizin' in blankets as he lay on his side, bleeding from the nose.

Source: The Cairns Post

Grave fears were held for the horse's life as he lay on his side, bleeding and suffering from shock and hypothermia after the fall.

But emergency services and veterinary staff worked tirelessly through the rescue and after six hours he finally staggered to his feet and walked down the mountain.

"He's a very, very lucky horse," Queensland Fire and Rescue Mareeba area director Greg Livingston told The Cairns Post.

"If animals have nine lives, I think he's used up all of his. On two occasions (during the rescue) I thought he was a goner.

"When he came out he was so cold, even the breath from his lungs was cold."

Pictures: Darryl Day. Source: The Cairns Post.

Source: The Cairns Post

The drama was eerily similar to an incident in Geelong in February, when racecourse Astro was pulled from mud after rescue crews battled for three hours to free him.

Graedawn Cruisin' had stumbled backwards into the shaft just before noon during a training endurance ride.

The shaft then collapsed, pushing the horse further into the mine as it struggled to stay afloat in deep water.

"Firstly, we tried to dig him out of the shaft but the mine was too narrow," Mr Livingston said.

"Then we had to turn him around so his head was out of the water and he was using less energy."

Eventually, fire crew members climbed down the shaft and managed to attach four slings under each limb of the horse and he was able to be hauled out with a backhoe.