‘They saved his life’: owner thanks rescuers who pulled his horse from sink hole
The owner of a horse who fell into a deep sink hole has thanked the firefighters who “saved his life”.
Grey gelding ‘Buzz’ became trapped in the hole in his field in Smithams Hill, East Harptree, last week (24 February).
Firefighters were called to Buzz’s field after his owners became aware of his dangerous predicament.
Three crews attended the incident from Bedminster and Chew Magna.
Buzz was sedated by a vet so that he could be safely removed from the hole using animal rescue equipment.
“On behalf of my family, I would like to thank all the firefighters who came to the rescue of our fantastic horse Buzz,” said owner Nigel Sommerfield following the rescue.
“They all showed great team work and skill and certainly saved his life.”
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Mr Sommerfield said that Buzz was doing well after the accident.
“All the signs are that he has come through the ordeal unscathed undoubtedly helped by the speed with which the team managed to get him out,” he added.
Second equine rescue
A week later (3 March), firefighters in Lincolnshire came to the aid of a pony trapped in a fast-flowing river.
The small grey had become stuck in the River Till at Broxholme.
The water came up to his knees and he could not escape due to the steep high banks surrounding the river.
Crews from Sailby Fire Staion and an animal rescue team from Louth were called to the incident at around 1.30pm and worked to free the pony from the water.
He was safely pulled from the river via the bank using strops, specialist animal rescue equipment and manpower.
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Rachael joined Horse & Hound in 2014, initially as a digital sub editor then became part of the news team as a writer in 2015. The philosophy graduate studied journalism at the Press Association before working as a local reporter at the Brentwood Gazette. Rachael is now a mum of two and still loves all things equestrian, including hacking, dressage and jumping with her cob Bert. Rachael left the H&H staff to go freelance in June 2019, but still contributes to our magazine and website, as well as our sister magazine Country Life, among others.