Anyone who has ever been by the ocean knows that it can be unpredictable. One thing you should never underestimate is the tide; it can be treacherous if you find yourself in the wrong place at the wrong time.

The tide can surprise and swallow people and animals in a matter of seconds, and in some cases it can lead to a slow and cruel death. This was almost what happened to an 18-year-old horse named Astro.

Astro’s owner, Nicole Graham, and her daughter were riding their horses along the beach near Geelong, south of Melbourne, Australia. But after a while, the horses found themselves on soft sand and the ground below them turned into a muddy death trap.

Nicole’s daughter and her horse managed to get escape, but she and Astro sank deeper into the mud. Astro was soon up to his neck in clay and risked choking to death. Nicole spent three hours by Astro’s side in a battle of life and death.