The woman in the photos was riding her multi-purpose horse on the beach when they came upon a deep puddle. The horse was not just immobile; it was also sinking ever-deeper.

Luckily, one of the horses was able to escape the muck, but the Astro started to sink dangerously low.

Graham had to witness the mud killing her beloved horse. Graham, though, grabbed the animal’s neck and sat down next to it for three hours.

Some volunteers arrived and attempted unsuccessfully to free him in the meanwhile. A farmer even rode up with specialized equipment, and the doctor arrived to put him to sleep.

But in the end, it was the farmer who prevailed. Fortunately, Astro escaped the incident with minor injuries, but the following sequence of events makes for one of the most moving scenes I’ve ever witnessed: