A horse was rescued after being swallowed by the ground during a routine ride with her owner.
Images from the scene show the mare, Fee, with only her head visible above the forest floor.
Gabi Schick told local media that she was riding through the woods when the earth beneath them suddenly gave way.
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A five-foot-deep cavity opened without warning, almost completely swallowing the 20-year-old horse.
“In the blink of an eye, my horse was gone,” said Gabi, 37.
She made several frantic calls for help, saying: “Believe it or not, my horse is stuck in a hole.”
A neighbour soon arrived at the scene in Germany’s Aachen Forest with a digger and shovels, while a vet and the local fire brigade also responded.
Among the rescuers was Lutz Hauch of ComCavalo, which trains firefighters across Germany in large-animal rescues.
By the time he arrived, the earth around the 66-stone horse had been partially excavated, as reported by Need To Know.
Using “special, very wide rescue harnesses”, Lutz, 70, helped free Fee safely.
After around two hours of digging, pulling, and careful manoeuvring, the mare was finally rescued.
“The ground was cold, and she was sweating like crazy,” said Gabi, who led Fee back to the nearby stable shortly after the rescue.
“At first, she was a bit wobbly on her legs, but she could walk.”
Miraculously, Fee emerged from the ordeal on 11 November unharmed.
“She’s doing well considering the circumstances. She hasn’t broken anything, and there’s no lasting damage,” Gabi said.
The hole in the woods has been temporarily filled in and cordoned off.
Local authority spokesperson Björn Gürtler added: “We are still investigating what caused it.”
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