UPDATE: The Equiery has confirmed that the bridge in question was a multi-use bridge that was designed to support horses. The bridge gave away because the underside of the wood had been eaten away by red ants.
A horse attempting to cross a bridge in the Patuxent River State Park today, May 31, injured his leg because the plank he was stepping on gave way underneath him.
Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service (MCFRS) arrived around 2 p.m. for a reported injured hiker. They could not immediately locate the injured person, but they did find the horse unable to stand because his leg had fallen through the a bridge. MCFRS called in a Technical Rescue Team (TRT) and a veterinarian to help.
The veterinarian sedated the horse and the team successfully freed its leg. He suffered some soft tissue damage but the veterinarians determined the leg was not broken because the horse was able to put weight on it after the sedation wore off. The original injured hiker declined transportation to a hospital.
This is a reminder to us all that bridges in our state parks are not necessarily built to carry the weight of a horse. Always look for signage or check with the park ranger if you are not sure whether or not a bridge is designed to carry the weigh of a horse.
You can find a map of those Maryland’s state parks that have equestrian trails on The Maryland Horse Council’s website here.
Photo courtesy @DavidPazos15 on Twitter/X.
