Lifestyle Pets Horse Stuck in California River for Hours Gets Airlifted to Safety in High-Flying Rescue Conquistador the horse required a helicopter lift home after tiring himself out during his water rescue from the Santa Ana River By Kelli Bender Kelli Bender Kelli Bender is the Pets Editor at PEOPLE. She has been working at PEOPLE since 2013. Her work has previously appeared on MTV, The Frisky, Vice, and Best Friends Magazine. People Editorial Guidelines Published on April 1, 2024 04:30PM EDT Close Conquistador the horse getting airlifted to safety after his rescue from California's Santa Ana River. Photo: KCAL News/Youtube A California horse got a taste of the pegasus life during a river rescue that required an airlift. According to KCAL, a horse got stuck in the Santa Ana River on Saturday evening and needed close to 24 hours and the help of several humans to escape. On Sunday, CAL FIRE/Riverside County Fire Department noted on Facebook that it performed a water rescue to save the horse. "Firefighters responded to a horse in the river. Fire resources and @RSO are searching for a possible rider. A Riverside County Sheriff's Office Helicopter is en route to assist with the search, and the City of Norco - Government Animal Rescue Team (NART) is en route to assist with the horse's rescue," the agency wrote on social media. Exhausted Dog Rescued from Mountain After Reaching the Top and Refusing to Leave After the horse — named Conquistador, according to UPI — got out of the water, he was too tired to move from the hours of fighting for his life against the river, forcing rescuers to devise a new solution: a helicopter ride. KCAL reported that rescuers did not reach the horse until Sunday afternoon because no one was sure where the animal was until Sunday morning. The horse ended up stuck in the river after getting spooked while on a ride with its owner Saturday night. The horseback rider lost control of Conquistador, who ran off into the night without their owner. Ostrich Escapes Zoo and Leads Authorities on Chaotic Hour-Long Chase Through Heavy Traffic The horse's family and community banded together to find the horse, eventually locating the animal in the river on Sunday morning. Once Conquistador was back on land following his water rescue, firefighters called in some help from the Riverside County Sheriff's Office (RSO) to get the horse home. The sheriff's office sent a helicopter to the rescue site to airlift the animal to safety. A horse getting airlifted by the Riverside Sheriff's Office in California. KCAL News/Youtube Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. "7:00 pm—with the help of our partners at @RSO, the horse was hoisted by helicopter from the riverbed," CAL FIRE/Riverside County Fire Department wrote on X alongside a photo of the Conquistador suspended from the helicopter, flying through the sky. The exhausted horse is resting and expected to fully recover from the ordeal.