Major rescue operation after horse falls in bog

A horse who fell into a bog while out hacking needed two fire crews, a specialist rescue team,two farmers and a telehandler to haul him to safety.

Lost his footing

Sam Poulter took Inky out for a hack on Dartmoor in Devon on 12 October when he slipped and fell into a sinkhole.

“I could see it was boggy and I was just about to turn around, but as he turned he lost his footing in the bog,” Sam told the Express.

She tried to get him out, but he was sinking fast so she called the emergency services.

Specialist rescue

Fire and rescue crews from Yelverton were first on the scene with 4×4 vehicles. They secured Inky until the specialist rescue team from Camels Head team arrived. They were also joined by a crew from Princetown.

At first the crews attempted to pull the horse clear using a rope winch and strops connected to a tractor supplied by a farmer.

When this failed to get Inky out, crews requested use ofa telehandler (a hybrid between a crane andforklift) which was supplied by another local landowner.

‘Frantic’

“The horse was lifted and pulled to firm ground at the same time which, with a little help from the horse, finally freed the animal,” said a spokesman for Yelverton fire crew. “Our thanks to the local community for turning out and helping.”

Sam said she was “frantic” throughout the rescue, but the 15.2hh Shire X Cob remained calm.

“He is a sensible horse and when he was freed, he just stood up as if nothing had happened,” she said.