Horses stuck in canal and swimming pool helped to safety
Horses trapped in watery situations have been rescued by firefighters.
Crews in Cheshire were called to a canal in Sandbach at around 8.15am on Tuesday (2 February), where they found a pony standing in the water by the bank.
A crew from Sandbach Fire Station and the animal rescue unit from Knutsford attended and helped to lift the pony, named “Babe”, to safety.
“Two of us put dry suits on and went into the water,” firefighter Erdal Cankaya told H&H.
They placed some special sheets along the side of the canal where Babe was standing to protect him from any sharp edges.
Firefighters then put straps underneath the pony and enlisted the help of a forklift truck to carefully lift him out of the steep-sided canal to safety.
“Luckily the horse was very calm,” said Mr Cankaya. “He just accepted it.”
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Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service tweeted pictures of the rescue, including one of Babe safely back on dry land.
The fire service has two specialised large animal rescue units, based at Knutsford and Bollington Fire Stations.
Firefighters at both stations have been trained to deal with this type of incident and have specialist equipment to ensure their own safety and to minimise the stress to the animals.
Meanwhile in Hertford, crews were called to a horse who had become stuck in a swimming pool.
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Firefighters were called at around 8.25am and a crew from Hertford Fire Station as well as an animal rescue unit from Hatfield attended.
Pictures from the Chapel Lane Animal Rescue this morning pic.twitter.com/SM5bJegMNwPictures from the Chapel Lane Animal Rescue this morning pic.twitter.com/SM5bJegMNw— Herts Fire Control (@HertsFRSControl) February 2, 2016— Herts Fire Control (@HertsFRSControl) February 2, 2016
A spokesman for Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue told H&H that firefighters pumped some of the water out of the pool before constructing a ramp for the horse to climb out on.
He added that crews were working for around two hours.
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Lucy is an experienced news journalist, reporter and presenter. Since joining the Horse & Hound team in 2015, Lucy has reported from major global sporting events including the Tokyo Paralympic Games and multiple European Championships, as well as Badminton, Burghley and London, to name a few. She has covered current affairs and sports news across the full spectrum of equestrian disciplines and racing, as well as human and equine welfare, industry news and court cases.