Why the long face! Firefighters use a winch to lift a helpless horse out of a swimming pool after it got stuck
- Fire crews rescued horse trapped in back garden pool in Leicestershire on Friday
- He had to be pulled out of the shallow end of the pool using a farm telehandler
- Animal was treated by specialist vets and returned to his stables unharmed
Firefighters used a winch to rescue a helpless horse that got stuck in a swimming pool.
The animal had escaped from nearby stables before ending up trapped in the pool in his owner’s back garden in Knossington, Leicestershire last Friday.
It had to be pulled out of the shallow end of the open air pool using a farm telehandler in a two-hour rescue operation.
Specialist vets treated the horse after he was hauled to safety before he was returned to his stables unharmed.
Firefighters used a winch to rescue a helpless horse that got stuck in a swimming pool in his owner’s back garden in Knossington, Leicestershire last Friday
The stricken animal had to be pulled out of the shallow end of the open air pool using a farm telehandler in a two-hour rescue operation
Crews from Oakham and Southern fire stations were called to the rescue at 7.55am after the horse trotted over the fabric pool cover and plunged into the water.
They found the horse had moved himself to the shallow end of the swimming pool but could not get up the steps.
After sedating the horse, a specialist animal rescue team used local farmyard equipment and a harness to winch him to safety.
Crews also pumped out the water from the swimming pool for the animal’s safety as there were concerns about hypothermia.
Crews from Oakham and Southern fire stations were called to the rescue at 7.55am after the horse trotted over the fabric pool cover and plunged into the water
They found the horse had moved himself to the shallow end of the swimming pool but could not get up the steps
Matt Basey, a firefighter from Oakham Station, said: ‘It was our second horse rescue within 48 hours.
‘We pumped some water out of the pool as we were concerned that the horse could have been getting extremely cold.
‘Technical rescue assisted with the rescue.’
Crew manager Martin Hugo joked: ‘I’m not sure whether I’m just coming across lots of clumsy horses.’