Fire crews rescue horse that fell into river
Published: May 7, 2008
Fire officers rescued a horse which fell into the River Nene.
Firefighters spotted a horse trapped in a metre-and-a-half of water at the River Nene near the Rushden and Diamonds football ground in Irthlingborough (UK).
The horse had apparently fallen from a metre-high riverbank and was unable to climb up the steep side and get out.
John McClure, station manager for the east of the county, said: “Firefighters spotted the horse while returning from a training course and we got to the scene to try to coax it up the bank.
“But it was unable to make it by itself, and even when we managed to support it with ropes it still couldn’t make the climb.
“A few people who stopped off said they had noticed the horse over the weekend so it might have been there for a few days.
“Luckily, our Wellingborough crew have recently studied a course in animal husbandry at Moulton College, and they turned up along with a crew from Mereway who are trained in water rescues.”
The crews were able to calm the animal, secure him, and dug steps into the bank to help the animal find its footing, and with gentle persuasion the horse was able to climb up the bank about an hour after it was spotted.
The animal was back on firm ground by 4.30pm yesterday, before being taken to recover with an animal care specialist.
A witness said: “The poor thing looked frozen to death, but the crews did a fantastic job.”
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