What would begin as just another late summer afternoon, would end up being a summer afternoon one Merrill woman will never forget.
The afternoon of Friday, Sept. 5, began for Sue Weiland as many other afternoons; visiting her horse stables near Hillview Road in the Town of Pine River. That afternoon, Weiland picked her 10-year-old Quarter/Arabian horse “Pepsi” as her riding partner.
“I normally ride by myself,” Weiland explains. “We had come to a creek and attempted to cross, but due to all the rain lately, it wasn’t a creek anymore. The water had become very deep and came up to my hips. So to be safe, I dismounted from Pepsi and led her by her rope. Normally she doesn’t follow me into the water. But for some reason, that day she decided to,” Weiland adds.
That is when things took a downhill plunge for Weiland and her beloved horse, literally.
Within seconds, Pepsi was up to her shoulders in water and began to panic.
“As she panicked, she pulled her halter and bridle off and went under for the first time and started swimming toward the Pine River, which was about 30 yards away. I was still in a safe position, so I swam after her and tried to grab for her. Since she had lost her bridle and halter, I had nothing to grab for but her mane. I lost my grip and when she turned around I tried to grab her again, this time by her tail. But I just couldn’t hold on,” Weiland explains.
Weiland soon found herself and Pepsi washed into the very swift Pine River. Weiland was able to pull herself ashore, but watched helplessly as Pepsi was swept away by the current.
“I watched as she went down river. Her head under water several times, I knew she was drowning.” Weiland adds. “I had tossed my cell phone ashore earlier, so adding to my feeling of helplessness was having no way to call for help!”
Weiland decided to make a run for a nearby farmhouse instead, which was approximately ¾ of a mile away. There, she used a landline telephone to call the Lincoln County 911 Communications Center.
“The dispatcher on the other end was amazing,” Weiland says. “She calmed me down right away, and was very patient me even though I was frantic by that point.”
Almost immediately, three deputies from the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office were en route.
“They came out and looked for over an hour,” Weiland explains. “While they looked, I called my husband and he came out to meet me. As we were talking about what had happened, I suddenly had a hunch where she might be. After all, she could have been still alive since deputies couldn’t find her.”
Sue and her husband headed out to a swampy area about 3/4 of a mile down river from where Pepsi went in. They were overjoyed to see her standing in the swamp, safe and sound.
“She had gotten out on her own and got up on shore. She was in swampy area, so when she seen me she couldn’t run toward me, but was so happy to see me! She whinnied and ran around in circles,” Sue Weiland adds with a delighted laugh. “I dropped to my knees and thanked the lord she was still alive.”
Sue Weiland would like to express his sincere gratitude to the 911 dispatcher who provided a calm, patient presence in taking the call. She would also like to thank Deputy Travis Watruba, Investigator Brian Kingsley and Deputy Zach Dorr for their tireless efforts in looking for Pepsi, as well as Melissa whose phone was available and her husband Jim, for his patience and knowing the love she has for her horses.