Spooked horse rescued after ending up in Miami canal

MIAMI (AP) - A horse got spooked by a black construction tarp blowing in the wind and ended up in a South Florida canal.

The Miami Herald (http://hrld.us/1NsBuDt ) reports Gisela Alvarez jumped off the male horse just in time to avoid going into the canal on Sunday morning. Her friend Rafael Rodriguez used a rope to help keep the horse's head above water until Miami-Dade Fire Rescue crews arrived.

Rodriguez says the horse would have drowned if help didn't arrive.

Lt. Scott Mullin says it took a team of about 14 people, including a veterinarian and large animal trainers to get the house out of the water.

Mullin says he went into the canal to help the horse swim upstream where they used webbing to help it up the steep canal bank.

___

Information from: The Miami Herald, http://www.herald.com