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Horse “Tivo” being escorted back to the barn by the handler.
A horse named "Tivo" being escorted back to its barn by a handler.Joseph C. Sperber
Firefighters and police remove two horses from a muddy ditch on Long Island.
Firefighters and police remove two horses from a muddy ditch on Long Island.Joseph C. Sperber
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Firefighters and police remove two horses from a muddy ditch on Long Island.
Firefighters and police remove two horses from a muddy ditch on Long Island.Joseph C. Sperber
Police gathered near the site where two horses found themselves stuck in a muddy ditch.
Police gathered near the site where two horses found themselves stuck in a muddy ditch. Joseph C. Sperber
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Long Island first responders saved two trapped horses in Smithtown Thursday morning.

The two steeds fell into a ditch in a wooded area of a farm on Landing Meadow Road just after 11 a.m., according to Suffolk County police.

The horses, a male named Tivo and a female, Paisley, lived on the farm and became stuck in a deep, muddy hole on the property. Paisley was stuck on her side and Tivo was planted upright on its four legs.

Emergency Service Section officers and members of the Smithtown and Commack fire departments responded with special equipment to help free the horses over the course of almost two hours, according to Joseph Sperber, a photographer who captured the rescue.

“It took two dozen firemen and about a dozen cops with special equipment — ropes and harnesses — to get them out,” Sperber said. “They used plywood to shore up the area so that as they raised [the horses] up they could step on something substantial.”

A veterinarian treated the horses at the scene and they are expected to make a full recovery, according to cops.

“Both horses —  they were just muddy and a little fatigued, but they seemed fine,” Sperber said.

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