Published: March 12, 2010
In photos: Burnham-On-Sea fire crews rescue trapped horse

These were the scenes in Burnham-On-Sea on Friday afternoon (March 12th) when fire crews were called to rescue a horse trapped in a muddy rhyne.

Two fire crews from Burnham and two from Weston were sent to a field at Pople's Bow just before 1pm after the distressed animal became stranded after wading into the ditch to reach water.

Fire spokesman Paul Slavin told Burnham-On-Sea.com: "The horse was in a very distressed state, with its legs stuck in the mud."

"Our crews used lines to pull the animal up the bank, followed by spades to dig it out of the bank."

He said the animal was released after a 40-minute rescue operation. "The horse was left in the hands an RSPCA inspector and did not appear to have been seriously injured."

A local resident had raised the alarm after seeing the animal struggling.