A heroic horse rider has been hailed for his bravery after rushing into a river in central China to save a drowning man caught in strong rapids, completing a dramatic rescue that could have come straight out of a folk tale.
The main heroes in this particular tale of quick-thinking courage were 39-year-old Erbay Dosbag, a veteran horseman of Kazakh ethnic group who hails from the Yili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, and his brave steed -- a white horse named 'Bailong' or "White Dragon."
Erbay, who been taming horses since the age of 14, responded without hesitation to the emergency after the alarm was raised when a stricken person was spotted in the water.
The situation arose shortly before 14:00 on Tuesday, when Erbay had been out walking with his rider friend along a stretch of the Han River in Xiantao City of the central Hubei Province. The peace along the riverside was suddenly broken when a loud cry for help pierced the winter air.
"I looked down the river, and saw a man near a pier, struggling to stay afloat and about to be washed away to the river center. It was clear that somebody fell into the water. Then I rode over as fast as I could while calling Erbay onto the shore," said Su Shaogao, Erbay's friend.
The rescue effort quickly became a three-way collaboration, when 57-year-old local swimming enthusiast Liu Hangzhou dived in to assist. He later recalled how the rescue unfolded from his perspective.
"So I rushed down from the embankment as fast as I could. There was a little girl by the river who seemed to want to save the drowning man. A young man on a horse also sped forward and then he stopped the little girl. Then there was another horse coming and swiftly riding straight in to reach the man in the water," he said.
The second rider was Erbay, who maneuvered his steed through the strong current, with the valiant horse showing no signs of fear as it plunged into the cold water, despite the animal never having swum in winter before.
"My horse is named ‘White Dragon’, and he was incredibly brave when I saved the drowning person. When I gave the command, he charged straight ahead," Erbay said.
The "knight" on the white horse was able to reach the drowning victim and drag him back towards shore, before Liu also waded out to help.
"I grabbed the man by the waist and pushed him up and struggled to pull him to the shore," Liu recalled.
The rescue took its toll on the brave horse, who later developed a high fever after the incident. Local veterinarians have since treated the animal, whose condition is now improving.
"(The horse) was not in a good state. His body temperature was 41 degrees Celsius, and went down to 38.6 after a [medical] injection," Erbay said.
The dramatic incident has captured public attention across China, with social media users praising the combination of traditional horsemanship and modern-day heroism.
"It was an urgent emergency. What I did was not heroic, I was just doing whatever I was able to do," said Su.
"I think that if any ordinary person came across this situation, they would try to offer help," Liu said.
On Thursday, the three rescuers -- Erbay, Su, and Liu -- were awarded 10,000 yuan (around 1,300 U.S. dollars) for their heroism - money which Erbay plans to donate to a local welfare home.
Even after all the excitement of the rescue and the national recognition he has received for his noble deed, the veteran horseman remains humble.
"Horses are like the wings of we Xinjiang people. When I ride on the horse, I feel more secure in my heart, and I’m not afraid of anything. I’m just a regular guy from Xinjiang. Even if it's not me, someone else will find a way to help them (the victim) out," Erbay said.
Humble horse rider hailed for heroism after helping save drowning man from freezing river
Humble horse rider hailed for heroism after helping save drowning man from freezing river
