Elbert County horse rescued from basement after fall through window well

An Elbert County homeowner got a morning surprise when she awoke to find her horse trapped inside her basement.

The family horse fell into the basement of a home around July 18, triggering a four-hour rescue operation that included the help of a county backhoe and personnel from road and bridge, the Rattlesnake Fire Department and the Elbert County Sheriff’s Office.

The call came into the sheriff’s office around 9 a.m. after the homeowner heard a noise in her basement. She went downstairs to find Summer the horse trapped inside, said Elbert County Sheriff Shayne Heap.

Summer had fallen down a four-foot window well and landed in the basement, which was not constructed with a walk-out door.

“We thought of bringing her up the basement stairs,” Heap said. “But the stairs didn’t look safe enough to support her weight.”

A veterinarian sedated Summer, who sustained minor cuts and injuries in the fall, and a coring company was contacted to cut into the foundation of the home. The initial plan was to expose an area around a second window well, remove a portion of the foundation and create enough space to bring the horse out of the basement, Heap said.

The road and bridge crew brought in a backhoe to clear an area around a second window well, which was situated closer to ground level. Once the window was removed and exposed, crews found Summer could fit through the window.

Around 1:15 p.m., Summer walked out of the basement on her own.

“We’re glad it worked out the way it did,” Heap said. “The horse was fine once it was all over.”