I wish I was with these AWESOME kids, "IT'S NOT COOL TO BE CRUEL"!!!!!!! ~Declan

Award for young rescuers of stranded pony

By Horsetalk.co.nz on May 01, 2013 in News

Several of the students with the pony they rescued from a sticky situation.

A group of Queensland high school students who rescued a pony stuck in mud beside a creek have been honoured with an RSPCA award.

One of the students swam the shetland pony to safety.

The nine Noosa High School students received Meritorious Awards from RSPCA Queensland for their efforts. The award recognises care and compassion shown to an animal in need.

The students were returning from a canoe expedition in the Noosa Everglades as part of their Duke of Edinburgh Awards program, when they spotted the small horse stuck in mud beside a steep bank in Kin Kin Creek on the Sunshine Coast.

“The pony would almost certainly have died if it hadn’t been rescued,” RSPCA spokesman Michael Beatty said.

“Not only that but they showed real ingenuity and courage to save its life.”

The boys first had to dig the pony out of the mud and then swim with it downstream for 200 metres to an area where it could be helped ashore.

“These days we see a lot of cruelty to animals and sadly this is often committed by young people,” Beatty said.

“So it’s really important that we recognise the actions of these students and the courage and tenacity they showed to save the life of this animal. We applaud them!”