KITSAP COUNTY, Wash. - A horse that tumbled into a steep ravine Saturday afternoon and became wedged upside-down between logs and rocks in the Green Mountain Forest of Central Kitsap was successfully put back on its feet after an eight-hour rescue effort Saturday.

It took dozens of volunteers and rescue workers most of the afternoon and evening to extricate the 18-year-old full-blooded Arabian horse from its predicament and lead it out of the wilderness to safety.

Rescue crews from Central Kitsap Fire and Rescue were called to the Gold Creek canyon trailhead near Gold Mountain in Seabeck at about 3 p.m. Saturday after a person spotted the horse in a canyon, according to Kitsap County Sheriff's Office spokesman Scott Wilson.

Personnel from Mason Fire District 2, the Department of Natural Resources ATV unit, the Horse Harbor Foundation and many friends of the horse owner also responded.

The rescue was complicated by the steep terrain, narrow, single-person path and distance from supplies, officials said.

When firefighters arrived at the scene they found the horse, named Lacey, down a 45-foot ravine. She was on her back and pinned down between rocks, the embankment and a large log.

Crews worked to secure the log, then they used a chainsaw to cut the log and relieve the pressure on the horse. Nearly three hours into the rescue, crews were able to get the horse onto her feet.

But that was only half the battle.

As rescuers struggled to get Lacey up out of the ravine, she kept losing ground and sliding back down the bank.

Crews used a variety of harnesses, ropes, straps and a pulley system to pull the horse to safety. It took more than 20 people three more hours to get the horse back on solid ground. She stood on her own four feet at 9:20 p.m. to much applause and shouting.

Lacey was able to walk the 2 1/2 miles down the mountain, arriving at the trailhead at about 11 p.m. - about eight hours after the rescue began.

She was tended to by a veterinarian who arrived on scene. Her visible wounds include a large gash on her right rear quarter. The full extent of her injuries was not immediately known.

There was no information about whether a rider was on the horse at the time of the accident.

While crews were looking for the horse, two intern reporters for the Kitsap Sun were sent out to report on the rescue. In the process, the pair became lost, prompting rescue crews to turn their attention to locating them.

The pair were spotted by crews and were confirmed to be OK shortly after 11 p.m. Saturday night. According to Wilson, it appeared the two had taken the wrong path and had not met up with rescue officials as planned. Spotty cell phone service further hampered efforts to find them.

The Kitsap Sun, a media partner of KOMO News, contributed to this report.