Safety warning after horse and rider stuck in deep beach mud

Emergency services have issued warnings after they went to the rescue of a horse and rider stuck in deep mud on a beach.

Humberside Fire & Rescue Service sent two crews to the Cleethorpes coast on Sunday (24 July), where the horse and rider were stranded on a mud bank.

“Even if the tide is out and it’s a brilliant sunny day, these areas can be very claggy. And of course, the horse being heavier, as they tried to get out, they were digging themselves deeper and deeper. It must have been very scary for the animal, but the crews have specialist animal training so were able to calm the horse and rider, and I’m pleased to say the horse was left in the hands of the rider and didn’t need any more assistance. The rider was fine too, just a bit shaken up.”

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Eleanor is an experienced journalist who spent over eight years working for local and national newspapers before joining H&H as news editor in March 2016. Passionate about equine welfare and exposing the truth, Eleanor has reported on all aspects of the industry, from Brexit to anti-bullying campaigns, and from dressage rules to mules. Her sport of choice is showjumping, in which she competes her own horses, and she also enjoys reporting at local jumping shows through to international championships.

Safety warning after horse and rider stuck in deep beach mud

A spokesman for the service told H&H there were other people nearby who had also got into trouble in the mud and called 999. It is thought the horse was stuck up to its neck, but had managed to free itself by the time the crews, one with specialist animal rescue equipment, arrived.

“It was covered in mud,” she said. “The crews used the rescue equipment to help the rider out, and tried to calm the horse down. They decontaminated it; rinsed the mud off gently, and helped ease the stress.”

The spokesman said the horse and rider were not locals.

“The rider had checked the tide times, which is really important, but you need to be mindful in case there could be big areas of mud from the rivers as they make their way to the sea,” she said.

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