Polo ponies rescued after horsebox overturns
Two polo ponies were rescued by Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service on Saturday (7 August), after the trailer in which they were travelling overturned on the A3 near Horndean.
The ponies were returning to Romsey, at 5.30pm, after having been involved in a match at Midhurst in West Sussex.
One was thrown from the box during the crash, which did not involve a second vehicle.
And the other pony was trapped in the trailer, but motorists helped the driver to get it out. One rescuer was kicked in the leg.
Once the specialist animal rescue team had arrived the ponies were moved to a nearby farm and examined by a vet.
Buster Brown, of the rescue team, warned that the public should not put themselves in danger in an accident of this sort.
“The trapped horse, which was removed from the overturned trailer, could have bolted out into moving traffic, resulting in a more serious accident,” he said.
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He advised that the best action is to keep the animals contained and wait for the rescue professionals to arrive.
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A self-confessed newshound, farmer’s daughter and journalist of many years' experience, Charlotte worked on regional papers before joining H&H in 2007. A regular rider, she visited Ireland in 2010 to investigate the fate of Irish horses through the recession, to much acclaim, and reported from the FEI General Assembly in Rio de Janeiro in 2011. She left Horse & Hound in March 2013.