Horse takes dip in swimming pool on Isle of Wight

A horse had to be rescued on Monday evening after jumping into a swimming pool in Shorwell, Isle of Wight.

The horse, named Jake, stepped onto the pool’s cover after jumping out of his field.

“He thought he could walk on the cover,” said Florus Oskam, the attending vet from Liphook Equine Hospital.

The cover ripped and Jake fell through. He was left standing belly-deep, surrounded and trapped by the floating cover. The pool’s owners called the fire brigade.

Mark Deacon, station manager at Newport, capital of the Isle of Wight, said: “We found him waiting sedately. We called the vet, and consulted the Isle of Wight Fire Service’s equine expert Kirsty Hume, who suggested that we roll the cover over him.”

The firemen rolled the cover from behind Jake to avoid startling him, and over his head. Jake remained calm throughout. With the cover off, firemen were able to attach a lead. After a yank on the lead, Jake clambered out of his own accord.

Vet Florus Oskam said: “Jack seemed fine apart from a few minor scrapes on his hind legs. It was quite lucky really. He was a bit stiff the next day, and is having a break from hacking out pending my visit tomorrow [28th May].”

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