SPECIALIST animal rescue crews rushed to the aid of a horse after it became trapped in a muddy ditch near Kidderminster.
Firefighters from Bromyard Fire Station and the Wyre Forest Hub were called to the scene off Droitwich Road on Monday morning (October 19) after the horse escaped overnight and fell down a six-foot ditch.
Crews arrived at the field at 8.47am and used strops and a telehandler to rescue the horse, which was 16 hands in size, by cutting away extensive areas of undergrowth.
A spokesman for Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service said: "We were called to rescue a horse which had escaped overnight and made an attempt to get back, which resulted in her getting in a bit of a pickle.
"Her owner found her stuck in a ditch and called her vet and us to rescue her.
"Kidderminster Fire Station Wyre Forest attended too and were able to cut the fence to get to her and once she had been sedated by the vet, we were able to get strops on and with the use of a telehandler from a local farmer she was lifted to safety.
"Although very cold and muddy, there were no injuries and this lucky little mare walked away none the worse for her ordeal."
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