An anonymous donor picked up the tab to rescue a horse from a sandbar in the middle of the fast-moving Gila River five days after the animal was stranded there when its rider attempted to cross the water, The Arizona Republic reported.

Rescuers turned to a helicopter after previous attempts to walk the horse out were deemed too dangerous.

Colorado, an 8-year-old horse, ended up on the sandbar last Friday after four riders attempted to cross a wash. The water was deeper than anticipated; one rider crossed successfully while the other three had to be rescued. One horse was euthanized after suffering a broken leg.

"It’s probably taken a few days off my life," Colorado’s owner, Mark Eshenbaugh, told the paper