Horse rescued from river

Published: April 18, 2007 | 6034th good news item since 2003

FIRE crews had to close part of the A64 dual carriageway to rescue a horse stuck in the River Derwent near Malton.

Justin Rowe, Red Watch Manager at Malton said: “It took one and a half hours to get the horse out. It was deeply stuck in the mud. It had tried to get out and swam down the river, but was tired and out of air.”

Fire crews placed lines around the horse and used a farmer’s fork lift tractor to drag the animal out.

The 28-year-old ex-racehorse survived the incident, but was checked over by a vet at the scene and found to be suffering from hypothermia.

Mr Rowe said: “We were just in time.”

One lane of the eastbound stretch of the A64 just off the A169 Malton to Pickering road was closed for two hours during the incident. Traffic slowed but did not come to a standstill.

Mr Rowe added: “If we are working on the A64 we have to close the carriageway off. It was closed as a matter of safety for the crew.”

Twelve firefighters were involved in the rescue, including a Water Rescue Unit boat from York fire station and retained firefighters from Malton.

The rescue was the latest in a series of successful rescues of horses and farmyard animals by Malton firefighters, who have been given a number of awards for their efforts by the RSPCA.

Tony Dyer, Head of Heath and Safety for North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue, said: “It is a reasonably regular occurence.”

Published in Animals
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