Small horse falls in canal

Ceres firefighters rescued a miniature horse from a mostly dry canal Saturday morning.

The 4-foot pony had scratches on its front hooves but was otherwise unhurt when discovered trapped in the canal near the 4400 block of Crows Landing Road.

Contracted security with the Turlock Irrigation District could not extricate the animal and called the fire department at 8:51 a.m., Battalion Chief Michael Lillie said. The irrigation season is over but about 12 inches of water remain.

“The canal walls were too steep for it to get out under its own power,” Lillie said, so firefighters led it on a rope about a quarter-mile west to a ledge with a more gradual slope, and the horse scrambled out.

A local rancher agreed to hold the horse while animal control officers search for its owner.