Horse rescued from Miami canal

MIAMI - A spooked horse had to be rescued after it ended up in a South Florida canal.

The Miami Herald reports Gisela Alvarez jumped off the male horse just in time to avoid going into the canal on Sunday morning. Her friend Rafael Rodriguez used a rope to help keep the horse's head above water until Miami-Dade Fire Rescue crews arrived.

Rodriguez says the horse would have drowned if help didn't arrive.

Lt. Scott Mullin says it took a team of about 14 people, including a veterinarian and large animal trainers, to get the horse out of the water.

"This is not a little pony on the side of the road that your kid rides on a Saturday afternoon," Mullin said. "This is a full-grown horse that's in fight or flight mode. It's trying to save its life, so the danger is there."

Mullin says he went into the canal to help the horse swim upstream, where crews used webbing to help it up the steep canal bank.

The animal suffered no major injuries and was later released to its owner.

Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.