SEE IT: New York police save horse from icy pond in dramatic rescue

A horse trapped in an icy upstate New York pond was dramatically saved by a team of police officers and neighbors from frigid water in a rescue captured on camera. 

Bodycam footage from the Saratoga Springs Police Department shows rescuers struggling to get the horse, named Sly, out of the water Monday. 

Sly, a 1,300-pound, 22-year-old quarter horse, was captured on video flailing his legs as he desperately tried to get out of the pond. 

Footage provided by Saratoga Springs Police shows the rescue of Sly, a 1,300-pound horse that fell through the ice of a pond in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., Monday. (Saratoga Springs Police via AP)

Ernst told The Associated Press Sly was initially hypothermic but had recovered enough Wednesday to return home.

Ernst initially noticed three horses playing on the pond when she came home from work, which was not uncommon, the AP reported. When she looked again, she saw Sly had fallen through the ice. 

Ernst called for help before running to grab Sly’s halter to keep his head above the ice. 

“I was losing the battle to keep him above water alone,” she said. “I threw all the rope in the hole and just started pulling it back in sheer hopes that I caught a hind leg, and I did, and we all just started to pull.”

This image from bodycam video provided by Saratoga Springs Police shows the rescue of Sly, a 1,300-pound horse that fell through the ice of a pond in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., Monday. (Saratoga Springs Police via AP)

Playing on the ice is no longer allowed. 

“There’s an electric fence up around the pond now,” Ernst said.