( CNN ) -- It was a sea rescue made for Hollywood : A horse in a photo shoot on a Southern California beach gets spooked and runs into the water , only to be rescued after swimming more than two miles offshore . That 's what happened to a 7-year-old white Arabian named William , said Santa Barbara Harbor Patrol Officer Ryan Kelly . The drama unfolded Tuesday about 6:30 p.m. when the horse bolted from the beach in Summerland , just south of Santa Barbara , and ran into the ocean . `` The initial call came in as a missing horse , '' Kelly said . Several more calls followed about a horse swimming out to sea . Rescue personnel from the nearby Carpenteria Fire Department , along with state lifeguards , took to the water to search for the horse , and a helicopter was launched by Santa Barbara County 's search and rescue team . William was spotted more than two miles offshore in the Santa Barbara Channel , swimming toward oil rigs , according to an incident report . `` Firefighters were able to hook the animal 's reins with a boat hook and bring it alongside a paddleboat , '' the report said . Floats were put under its neck to help keep its head above water . Photos and video taken of the rescue show Kelly and others placing a tow line under the horse 's saddle and securing it to the boat . Harbor patrol personnel and lifeguards appeared to take turns holding the horse 's head up . `` It took about two-and-a-half hours to escort the horse back to dry land and into the hands of a vet , '' Kelly said . The horse was taken to an animal clinic in the area and released back to the owner . CNN 's Irving Last contributed to this report .
A 7-year-old Arabian horse named William got spooked and ran into the water , rescuers say . The horse was found swimming more than two miles offshore , a rescuer says . Score: 6