Carbon County volunteers banded together to rescue a horse that got stuck in a ditch in East Penn Township late Monday night.

According to Mark Nalesnik, Carbon County Emergency Management Agency coordinator, the Carbon County Animal Response Team and East Penn Township Fire Department were called to 540 Sand Quarry Road in the township just before 11 p.m. Over a dozen volunteers from both groups responded to the scene.The horse, which is in its mid-30s, had fallen into a construction ditch on the property and got stuck.Crews worked into the early morning hours to free the animal."It was a very difficult rescue," Nalesnik said, adding that the volunteers were able to free the horse after four hours using a Becker sling, made for large animal rescues, and a backhoe.The horse had been pinned in the hole for some time before the rescue was called in."It was a good joint effort between CART and the East Penn Township Fire Department," Nalesnik said. "They worked great as a team. It's amazing the dedication these volunteers have."Following the rescue, a veterinarian on-scene monitored the horse, and after a short time the animal was able to stand and walk.This is the second time in a year that this horse needed to be rescued.In August 2013, the horse fell in very muddy conditions and got stuck.The Carbon, Schuylkill, Lehigh and Northampton CART teams were deployed at that time. It was lifted out of the mud using a backhoe and other equipment.