Horse and rider rescued after getting stuck upside down in a ditch

A horse and rider had a lucky escape last weekend after getting stuck upside down in a ditch in Cambridgeshire.

Two fire crews and a rescue vehicle were called to help the horse and rider after they fell into a 2m deep ditch in Longstowe on Sunday (3 August).

The pair were walking alongside the ditch when the horse, called Drummer, bolted. Both horse and rider fell in, with Drummer getting stuck upside down.

Firecrews rescued the woman and called a vet to sedate Drummer, who was then lifted to safety by a tractor.

Both were uninjured.

John Kitchener, Watch Manager at Gamlingay Fire Station, said: “When we arrived, both the woman and her horse were stuck at the bottom of a very steep ditch, with slippery mud on the banks.

“They were completely stuck and unable to lift themselves out. The horse was also very distressed.

“We were able to pull the woman free fairly easily, but the rescue of the horse was a little more complex. With the help of the farmer and under the advice of a vet, we used a tractor to winch the horse out of the ditch.”

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now