Here’s how a Lexington police horse prevented serious injury in fall. He is recovering quickly.

A Lexington police horse that was trapped by the leg for more than an hour in an uncovered utility hole on East Sixth Street will make a full recovery, a surgeon at Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital said Wednesday.

The 17-year-old horse, Yoder, was sent to Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital Tuesday night after crews worked for more than an hour to rescue him from the hole.

X-rays later revealed that the horse did not have any broken bones, only cuts and abrasions. Veterinarians at the hospital said Yoder could be released by Thursday.

“I was relieved and grateful for the teamwork that was displayed by the three vets that were on scene as well as the fire department and other officers who were there to assist,” Yoder’s rider, officer Shawn Davis, said Wednesday.

The accident could have been much worse for Yoder, who had around 18 inches of his leg stuck in the hole when Dr. Julie Suarez arrived to sedate him.

Suarez said Yoder was calm and smart about his predicament prior to the sedation. Suarez said she lives close to the accident and got to the horse within 10 minutes.

While in the equine ambulance to Rood & Riddle, the horse remained calm and cool.

“I was amazed at how well the horse was handling the situation,” said Rood & Riddle ambulatory associate Colton Thacker. “If you would have put any other horse in that situation, I’m not sure it would have had the outcome we do now. He was calm, wasn’t thrashing. A couple of times he did get nervous and a little anxious, but I think with the sedation, we calmed him down.”

Within 30 minutes of Yoder being at Rood & Riddle, he was on his feet and moving, said equine surgeon Brett Woodie.

Yoder’s ability to stay calm helping him get out of a “life-threatening situation,” Woodie said. Yoder should fully recover in one or two weeks.

“So far he has come out very well. It’s a tribute to all the individuals who took care of him on site, as well the horse,” Woodie said. “He remained very calm, which was key to him doing so well.”

Davis has ridden Yoder for two years and calls him a mild-mannered and gentle-natured horse.

“He’ll get a little time off. We’ll train him back up to it,” Davis said. “I don’t know if he’ll go down Sixth Street anytime soon, but we’re looking forward to him being back out there.”

This story was originally published December 5, 2018 at 3:24 PM.