Pony trapped up to his neck in muddy water is rescued by firefighters
A pony had a lucky escape after becoming trapped in a ditch in Cambridgeshire earlier this month (September 15).
The piebald youngster became stuck in muddy water up to his neck and was freed by firefighters.
Crews from Cambridge and Ely stations were called the field near Qua Fen Common, Soham.
“A foal was trapped in a water-filled ditch and specially trained firefighters donned in-water suits and used animal rescue equipment to safely rescue the foal under supervision of the vet,” said a spokesman for Cambridge Fire and Rescue Service.
Firefighters rescued the pony by 12.20pm.
Horse trapped in 8-foot deep ditch
Last month (8 August) a horse was rescued by firefighters after falling into an eight-foot deep ditch.
Jess Jaremczuk was riding her grey mare, Opal, along fields in Carrington, Greater Manchester, when she was spooked by a dog and fell backwards into a ditch.
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“Upon arrival Opal was standing in a ditch and her rider was trying her best to lead her out,” said watch manager Mark Skinner.
“Unfortunately the sides of the ditch were too steep and slippery for Opal to get a good footing. Following many fruitless attempts Opal became exhausted, fell backwards and collapsed in the bottom of the ditch.
“Once the vet arrived a combined decision was made to sedate Opal and extract her using the specialist equipment carried on the water incident unit. Strops were fed around Opal as she lay in the ditch and lines were attached to the strops in preparation for the extraction.
“Once she was fully sedated the crews then physically pulled Opal up the skids we placed on the banks of the ditch and several meters into a field for further safety.”
It took crews over three hours to rescue Opal, who is now recovering from injuries to her back and hind legs.
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Rachael joined Horse & Hound in 2014, initially as a digital sub editor then became part of the news team as a writer in 2015. The philosophy graduate studied journalism at the Press Association before working as a local reporter at the Brentwood Gazette. Rachael is now a mum of two and still loves all things equestrian, including hacking, dressage and jumping with her cob Bert. Rachael left the H&H staff to go freelance in June 2019, but still contributes to our magazine and website, as well as our sister magazine Country Life, among others.