Firefighters rescue horse trapped in deep mud near Pulborough

The service’s technical rescue unit was sent to help Spring when she became stuck in woodland near Pulborough around 11am on Thursday.

Joe Sacco was one of the officers who attended and carried out the rescue.

He said: “With all the rain we have had recently, a lot of the woodland in the area is still quite waterlogged and very muddy.

“Spring was already stuck up to the top of her legs in the mud, and she was absolutely exhausted.”

Firefighters worked closely with Spring’s owner and a vet from Sussex Equine Hospital to free her using a specialist sled to get in under her and gently pull her out of the mud, keeping any further distress to an absolute minimum, according to Joe.

He added: “Because she had been stuck for a little while, her legs had essentially gone to sleep, and so we had to roll her over to stimulate her and get the blood flowing again, and ultimately get her back on her feet.

“Sometimes this can be tricky, and with horses being sensitive animals, sometimes the stress of being trapped can cause that spark in their eye to go out, and there is no getting them back up again.

“But luckily, this was not the case with Spring, and she was back on her feet in no time. After being given the all clear from the vet we washed her down and she was reunited with her owner again.”