Two horses that helped save a 12-year-old boy from drowning in the sea died early on Thursday morning after days of high fever, according to Cai Liangxing, a coach of a horse riding club in Jinjiang, Fujian province.

"Their carcasses have been buried in the mountains after thorough disinfection and will not affect nearby villagers," Cai said with deep sorrow.

An initial diagnosis by experts via video connections showed that the horses may have suffered from lung infections due to inhaling seawater. Furthermore, they ran into the cold sea directly after running a long time in the summer heat, which may have caused sunstroke.

Cai Liangxing, a coach of a horse riding club in Jinjiang, Fujian province, China

On July 26, when Cai and two friends rode along the beach at Yakou Scenic Area, they suddenly heard someone crying for help in the distance.

"We found a boy had been swept about 300 meters from the beach by the waves, and his mother seemed quite anxious," Cai said. "Without any hesitation, we rode into the sea in the direction of the boy."

Because the tide was ebbing, the boy drifted farther and farther.

Fortunately, they arrived at the boy's location quickly with the help of the horses' fast speed and strength. They used a swimming ring they had borrowed from a tourist and swam back to the beach by seizing the tail of one of the horses.

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The boy was safe, and the three exhausted rescuers left after a short rest.

About a week later, two of the three horses－a 13-year-old female and a 6-year-old female－developed a fever and runny nose.

"At first I thought they just caught a cold and didn't pay much attention, but their conditions worsened in recent days even after receiving treatment from local veterinarians," Cai said. "To save them, I tried to seek help from the Chinese Equestrian Association and the Fujian Equestrian Association."

The two associations gave quick responses to his request and sent experts for remote diagnosis.

"An initial diagnosis by experts via video connections showed that the horses may have suffered from lung infections due to inhaling seawater," he said. "Furthermore, they ran into the cold sea directly after running a long time in the summer heat, which may have caused sunstroke."

Unfortunately, even though the experts gave some advice on treatment, Cai failed to save his two horses.

"We spent about 200,000 yuan (US$28,800) on importing the two horses from overseas last year, and they were almost the best horses in our club," Cai said. "The 6-year-old one just gave birth to her baby a month ago. It's really a pity to lose them."

The boy's parents visited the club on Wednesday, sending Cai and his horses a silk banner to express gratitude and apologize.

Some domestic equestrian associations have expressed their willingness to donate horses to the club.

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"Nothing is more important than human life," Cai added. "I will never regret rushing into the sea."

Contact the writers at zhouhuiying@chinadaily.com.cn