Horse hoisted from swimming pool by firefighters
A fire service crew hoisted a palomino horse out of a swimming pool in Somerset last week (Wednesday 13 May).
The rescue took place in the village of Chapel Allerton near Cheddar at 4.18pm.
The horse has fallen into a pool filled with 4ft of water.
A vet had been called out to sedate the horse before the specialist rescue team from Bridgewater arrived.
“Fire crews attached a lifting device to the horse and assisted in rescuing the horse using a mechanical digger. The horse was in not in distress and was fine afterwards,” said a spokesman for the Devon & Somerset fire and rescue service.
Last month (2 April) firefighters in West Sussex were called out to rescue a horse from a swimming pool in Heyshott.
The young mare, called Maisie had escaped from her field and was found stuck in the pool, which had a green plastic cover.
Never miss out on the latest happenings in the equestrian world
The rescue was one of the first outings for the service’s new Unimog, an all terrain multi-purpose vehicle suitable for animal rescue.
“Thanks to the serious ‘pulling’ power of our new versatile Unimog vehicle and the calm expertise of our TRU officers, Maisie was soon gently lifted out of the pool and returned safe and well to terra firma,” said a spokesman for West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service.
With summer approaching horse owners are warned to secure fencing in paddocks, and around pools, as H&H frequently reports on horses falling into swimming pools.
In 2011 Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service were called to a farm in Godshill, where a 15hh gelding had wandered on to the plastic covering of a neighbour’s pool and fallen in.
The four-year-old New Forest-cross, “Mischief”, was sedated by a vet to enable the 12 firefighters to carry out the rescue.
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
