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Firefighters in Manchester were called out to rescue a stuck horse in a muddy ditch earlier this week (Monday, 27 October).
The coloured horse had become trapped in mud after falling down an embankment in Carrington, a village on the outskirts of Manchester.
Staff from the watercourse maintenance team at Millar Landscapes spotted the horse was in difficulty while doing some routine work in the area for the Environment Agency. They called the emergency services at around 12pm.
Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service sent out crews from Heywood, Altrincham and Eccles stations. Around 20 firefighters were involved in saving the horse.
Firefighters believe the horse had approached the edge of the bank, which then collapsed, leaving the animal to fall 2.4m.
A spokesman from the Greater Manchester fire and rescue service added: “When firefighters arrived they could see the horse was unable to move so they secured ropes, a harness and kick boards before bringing the animal to safety where it was assessed by the RSPCA.”
The horse was unhurt in the incident and returned to its field (pictured below right).
Never miss out on the latest happenings in the equestrian world
Paul Evans from Millar Landscapes said: “The horse was found in a remote area more than 50m from the nearest road and would have not been spotted by members of the public. If we had not found the horse it might not have survived.”
The fire service could not confirm to H&H who owned the horse.
Horse owners are reminded to check their fencing — to prevent escaping — as well as looking out for potential hazards as H&H has reported on many horses that have roamed and found themselves in difficulty.
Earlier this year H&H reported on a horse in Yorkshire that was rescued after being stuck down a hole for nearly 30 hours. It fell down the 12ft hole after stepping on a manhole.
In another incident a horse in Scotland was trapped under a large water pipe in its field.
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