NBC NATIONAL NEWS — An afternoon ride through the park turned into a messy ordeal for Monica Eastman and her horse Leela Wednesday afternoon.

The pair fell off a bridge and into deep mud at New Smyrna Beach, Florida's Doris Leeper Park Wednesday afternoon.

The horse was stuck on its side with mud up to the chest.

Firefighters said they needed special equipment to break the suction and used a sling to get the horse out.

Officials said the horse was not in danger, and didn't sustain any injuries in the fall.