When Ali Ernst pulled into her upstate New York farm earlier this week, her heart nearly stopped. From her window, she spotted her horse, Sly, wandering onto the frozen pond — a place she’d always dreaded he might go.
Within moments, her fear became reality.
“The ice gave way beneath his hooves,” Ernst wrote. “One of my worst fears came true.”
Sly plunged into the frigid water, thrashing helplessly with no way to climb back onto solid ground.
Ernst didn’t hesitate. She rushed outside, dialing for help as she tried to keep her beloved horse from slipping beneath the ice.
In her panic, she accidentally snapped a photo of Sly struggling in the water.
“I really thought it was going to be my last photo of him,” she told The Dodo.
But Ernst wasn’t alone for long. Within minutes, family, neighbors, police, and firefighters had rallied to the scene.
Body camera footage later released by the Saratoga Springs Police Department shows the dramatic rescue as the community worked together to free Sly from the icy trap.
And finally — he was safe.
Rescuers rushed Sly to Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital, where veterinarians treated him for hypothermia.
Miraculously, despite the terrifying ordeal, the strong-willed horse made a full recovery.
“Sly is home and fine!” Ernst shared. “He has made a full recovery.”
While Ernst is determined to find a way to keep her horses from wandering onto the frozen pond again, for now she’s simply grateful. Grateful that her horse survived. Grateful for the friends, neighbors, and first responders who refused to give up on him.
With humor returning after the relief, Ernst joked: “Sly’s dreams of being an Olympic figure skater are over. But he is alive and well, thanks to everyone who jumped to help him yesterday.”
