Netizens mourn death of horse involved in rescue

A horse that was honored for its involvement in the rescue of a drowning man last week has died, prompting an outpouring of grief and remembrance.

The 7-year-old white horse, named White Dragon, died on Tuesday from an intestinal disease, just days after its heroic act in the Hanjiang River in Xiantao, Hubei province.

White Dragon's name evokes the legendary White Dragon Horse from the classic Chinese mythological novel Journey to the West. The deceased horse's age is equivalent to about 28 in human years.

On Feb 4, White Dragon, ridden by Erbay Dosbag, galloped about 50 meters into the river to reach the drowning man. Erbay grabbed the man while Liu Hangzhou, who was swimming nearby, helped pull him from the water. The rescue was captured on video and quickly went viral, turning the rescuers into local heroes.

"We were out walking horses nearby when I noticed someone was drowning in the river," said Su Shaogao, who owns a nearby riding camp where Erbay works. Both men are horse lovers.

Su called for help, and Erbay rode White Dragon to the river.

"At that moment, White Dragon just followed without resistance. We didn't even have the saddle properly tightened," Erbay recalled.

"It was truly a matter of trust between the horse and the man," Su said.

On Feb 6, the three men involved in the rescue were awarded the title of "righteous and brave citizens" by local authorities. White Dragon was also honored.

After the rescue, White Dragon developed a fever and was unwell for several days. Erbay cared for the horse, but its condition worsened on Tuesday with a high fever and agitation. Veterinary experts were consulted, but the horse died despite treatment.

The death of White Dragon has prompted waves of mourning and sympathy on the web with millions of comments of condolences left on the post of news of its death on Weibo, a microblogging website.

Local officials said the government plans to erect a statue of White Dragon near the river.

Li Shangyi contributed to this story.