An ‘exhausted’ horse that found itself stuck in a County Offaly river for around 24 hours has been rescued by the ISPCA.

The charity rushed to save the horse earlier this month after it was alerted to the danger by a local member of the public.

ISPCA Inspector Jimmy McCormack said he found the horse submerged in the river, with its head just barely over the water when he arrived at the scene.

Horse stuck in a river in Offaly was rescued by ISPCA. Image: ISPCA

The horse was ‘clearly clearly exhausted from unsuccessful attempts to make his way out” of the river – and Inspector McCormack discovered that he had been there for around 24 hours.

Time was a key factor in the rescue, as Inspector McCormack was concerned that the horse was suffering from hypothermia and could potentially go into shock and drown.

He sent out an urgent call for help and before long, local animal welfare volunteers arrived, “with a tractor and some muscle”.

Together, the team was able to get the horse to safety.

Horse in recovery after being rescued from an Offaly river by ISPCA. Image: ISPCA

Shortly after the rescue, the owner of the horse was located and arrived at the scene along with a local vet.

The ISPCA carried out a follow-up visit the following morning to check-in on the horse and found him “tucked into his cozy rug, in a nice warm stable”.

Thankfully, almost two weeks on, the horse is well on the way to making a full recovery.

The ISPCA has thanked the public for their help – noting that if the volunteers had not arrived in time, the outcome could have been very different.

Main image: Horse stuck in a river in Offaly rescued by ISPCA. Image: ISPCA