Luke Bryan was boating on the Harpeth River near Franklin, TN when he saw a horse in need of help. According to WSMV, Luke and a friend alerted rescuers and the horse’s owner, Franklin resident Janet McCormick, when they came upon the horse in the river. Misty, a 15-year-old Appaloosa horse, had taken a tumble off the 15 foot riverbank.

“It was a blessing. If they hadn’t been going down the river in the boat, I wouldn’t have known that she’d fallen in,” McCormick told WSMV.

After several hours, a team of nearly a dozen people saved Misty from the river.

“They had to halter her, and with some straps and a tractor and a lot of manpower to get her pulled out of the mud and get her back on the shore,” said Doug Brightwell from Williamson County Animal Control. “It’s nice to have a happy ending to a story, especially to one that could have turned out so much differently.”

An equine veterinarian told McCormick Misty would be sore, but was expected to make a full recovery.

“You can’t thank anybody enough for taking an interest and being so helpful and genuine,” she said. “And it’s a blessing to have good neighbors.”