Durban - A metro police horse and his rider became trapped in sinking sand on Durban’s uShaka Beach and, had it not been for the calmness of the animal and the quick thinking of lifeguards, municipal workers and a mother and daughter who understood horses, it could have ended horribly.
Sunday’s drama highlighted the danger on the beach where the eThekwini Municipality is pumping sand to stop erosion.
On Monday night, Coastwatch spokeswoman Di Dold, who has raised concerns about how the sand is being pumped and the impact it was having on marine life, said: “It could have been absolutely anybody. The council has not thought this through as there does not seem to be a proper management plan in place. It is a danger to the public.”
For Inspector Jeffrey Gunter and his horse, Wild Boy, it could have been much worse.
“I shouted to my captain, who was riding ahead, ‘Let’s get out of here!’ but, by the end of my sentence, I was up to my hips in sand and Wild Boy was in it to his neck.”
They were in an area where a small section of beach was cornered off because of the sand works. There should have been a guard positioned on the beach to warn the public to stay away, but no one was there on Sunday.
Their usual route was to go under the pier but, because a trench had been dug out, they paused and looked for another way to get back on to the promenade.
“It was fine while we were walking, but as soon as we stopped, we started sinking.”
Thinking quickly, Gunter rolled on to his side and leopard-crawled to firmer ground. “The sand was wet, wet, wet and difficult to grip.”
By now only the top of the horse’s back was showing, yet, throughout, it remained calm.
The thought going through Gunter’s mind was what would happen if Wild Boy became stressed.
“The average police horse weighs between 450kg and 700kg and, if he had to suddenly kick or panic, he might have broken his leg and we all know what that means.”
Pat Sunkel was having breakfast on the beachfront when she saw the two riders and their horses on the sand. “All of a sudden one disappeared near the excavation. It was so strange,” she said.
Sunkel said she watched the rescue and tried to help. “You could see the horse was distressed, but he was obviously very well trained.”
A suction of sand and water had formed around the horse and there was no way to move it without making the situation worse.
A municipal digger working nearby was brought on to the sand to break the suction of mud around the animal.
As the pressure of the wet beach sand was released, the horse gently turned and lay on his side, listening to Gunter as he spoke his horse through the ordeal. It was a tense moment as the horse could have panicked and tried to jump into the opening being made by the digger. Had the horse done that, he would have sunk deeper.
After Wild Boy was on his side, Gunter and those helping him used their hands to clear the sand around the horse’s legs.
After
Wild Boy was freed he lay for a few minutes catching his breath and was then able to get up by himself. The horse was checked by a vet on Sunday and was found to be slightly stiff.
Gunter escaped with a sore shoulder and a sleepless night thinking about what could have happened to the horse he says is like “his child” and best friend.
Gunter and Wild Boy have been partners since 2002. The horse was even the ring bearer at his wedding when he married his wife, Hayley.
At the time of going to print The Mercury had not yet received comment from the municipality.
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