Matsie the Mare rescued from basement of abandoned Northern California grain silo

Northern California emergency and animal specialists last week teamed up to rescue a horse that fell into the bottom of an abandoned grain silo in Yolo County.

The Yolo County Animal Services Center asked agencies including the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, the El Dorado County Search and Rescue team and the Yolo County Fire Protection District to help retrieve Matsie, a mare who got stuck in the subfloor of the silo.

The horse fell several feet in open spaces at the bottom of the structure, officials said in several social media posts this weekend.

The personnel worked together to hoist Matsie back up to ground level, where she was reunited with her owners, said the Sonoma Valley Animal Emergency Response Team, which added the work was a “great collaboration between response groups that frequently train together to perform a difficult rescue.”

It was not clear how the horse had gotten into the confined space.

“Matsie the Mare was thankful to be out and play again with her friends,” they said.

Pictures from the various groups showed Matsie being plucked from the basement using a unique “animal tripod” that officials said “was critically needed on this rescue and donated by Halter Project.” Officials were able to pull her through the opening that was less than two feet wide.

“Life is truly an adventure, and you never know what you will encounter,” said the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office, reflecting on the horse’s rescue.