For Tina Churchill, Thursday was supposed to be a joyous occasion, spent with her 3-year-old granddaughter.But the phone call she received while Christmas shopping in St. Louis temporarily turned her world upside down.The hour-long race home to Warren County that followed would be the longest 60 minutes of her life.Meanwhile, members of the Warrenton Fire Protection District were working desperately to rescue two of her prized horses that had fallen through the ice on the family’s private lake off Highway A in northwestern Warren County.“I kept thinking, ‘How am I going to explain to my granddaughter that her horse is dead,’ ” recalled Churchill, knots building in her stomach as she made the nerve-racking commute.By the time she arrived, 2-year-old Meadow and 3-year-old Zihna had been rescued from the frigid water, thanks to what Churchill calls “heroic efforts” by firefighters.“They gave it their all, and I’m extremely grateful,” says the Warrenton counselor.Churchill’s husband witnessed the horses’ journey onto the ice, watching fearfully as they made it nearly all the way to the middle before plunging into the freezing waters.“He saw them walk out there, and thought ‘Oh my God,’ ” explained Churchill. “Fortunately, he had his cellphone and called 911.”Warrenton firefighters responded to the scene — just two days after practicing an ice rescue training session in preparation for this type of emergency.Fire Chief Mike Owenby and Capt. Tony Hayeslip each donned Mustang survival waterproof suits the department purchased last year and carefully made their way onto the ice.“They knew those firefighters were there to rescue them and they came right over to them when they got out there,” said Churchill.“We knew once we got out there that the ice was thick enough to hold us,” added Owenby.Using a chain saw, the duo was able to carve a pathway from a hole the horses had created in the middle of the lake back to the shore.“We knew we were going to have to get into the water and break (the ice) up by hand,” said Owenby. “We figured if we got the horses moving in the right direction, their instincts would guide them to the bank.”One horse exited with relative ease, while the remaining one struggled and began to show signs of fatigue and disorientation.Owenby was able to calm the horse and eventually guided her to safety."It was amazing,” reveled Churchill. “They came out and gave 150 percent and were prepared for anything that came their way.”Firefighter Matt Dabbs is a certified ice rescue technician and had conducted the department training. He was off duty at the time of the call but arrived to coordinate operations from the shore."It was perfectly executed, and as an instructor that makes me proud," acknowledged Dabbs. "The training proved to be of extreme importance."Churchill said the horses are used for therapeutic purposes through her counseling service and for local charitable organizations.“These horses are important to a lot more people than just our family,” said Churchill. “They are special to a lot of people in the community.”She said volunteers from the Warren County Sheltered Workshop came to assist with blow-drying and toweling the horses down after they were rescued.Owenby noted this is the first time the department has used the new suits in the water, having worn them last week to bring a deer off the ice.“There’s no way we would have gotten to them without the suits,” Owenby assured. “They are completely insulated so they allow us to get into the water and work.”No ice is safe ice, Dabbs insists. There are limitations on how thick the ice needs to be to walk or drive on it, but depths are difficult to gauge even to the trained eye."If you go out to rescue the animal, you're going to end up getting rescued yourself," said Dabbs. "Call us, because we have the proper equipment to make that rescue."He says having the Mustang survival gear at their immediate disposal was the difference between life and death for the horses.

"Without those, we would have had to call another department, and we don't have enough time for that when it comes to saving a life," said Dabbs. "Humans wouldn't be able to survive as long as the horses did."<--- CHECK OUT PHOTO GALLERIES AND VIDEOS TO THE LEFT OF THIS ARTICLE

The Warrenton Fire Protection District rescued two horses that had fallen through the ice on a private lake off Hwy A in northwestern Warren County on Thursday around noon.

Derrick Forsythe Photo.The Warrenton Fire Protection District rescued two horses that had fallen through the ice on a private lake off Hwy A in northwestern Warren County on Thursday around noon.Photo courtesy of Tony Hayeslip.The Warrenton Fire Protection District rescued two horses that had fallen through the ice on a private lake off Hwy A in northwestern Warren County on Thursday around noon.Video courtesy of Tony Hayeslip.The Warrenton Fire Protection District rescued two horses that had fallen through the ice on a private lake in northwestern Warren County around noon on Thursday.Video courtesy of Tony Hayeslip.