Happy Ending For Horse Rescue

Carmen Mercurio, 25, and her horse Cheval are recovering in California after they plunged 15 stories into a ravine at the Los Angeles National Forest.

Rescued by helicopter Sunday, Mercurio told The Early Show co-anchor Julie Chen about the adventure that occurred when she went riding with a group of friends.

"I was very terrified," she said Tuesday as she petted her horse. "My left foot was actually stuck in his stirrup. If it wasn't for the bush or the little stoppage of the rocks, he would have actually killed me."

Incredibly, both the woman and her horse suffered only minor injuries. Mercurio was treated at Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital and released the next day.

She says, "The biggest injury I had is the one on my head and I have about 33 stitches in it on the left side. And I have some scrapes and scratches on my back, on my right side of my ribs. But I have no broken bones and I have bruises and scrapes on my legs and arms."

Firefighters tried to rescue the horse Sunday, but their helicopter lacked the power to lift the animal.

"I was very devastated," Mercurio said. "I thought he wouldn't be able to make it. I was just going hysterical."

The operation to rescue the horse was conducted by at least 15
firefighters, aided by a helicopter Monday morning, said fire Inspector Edward Osorio. The horse, which was tranquilized so it wouldn't become rattled, was placed in a special sling attached to the helicopter's hoist and
was flown to the nearby North Fork Rangers station. The horse had an injured hind leg. Mercurio said it is recovering well from the ordeal.

Its biggest injury, she said, "is almost the size of my hand, and that is on his hind left leg, which he has quite a bit of stitches in it, with a drain draining out of his leg. We have all of the legs wrapped up."

Mercurio had praise for the 40 rescuers who helped airlift her and Cheval to safety. "I just want to thank them," she said. "I'm grateful and without my horse, I don't know what I would do because he's a very great horse. He's been with me for now almost three years."

Asked when she plans to ride her horse again, Mercurio said, "Not until he's well and healed." She estimated it would take "probably a couple of months, maybe a little more."