Firefighters do more than help cats out of trees.
When this pregnant mare needed to be rescued from a six-and-a-half-foot sinkhole, firefighters came to her aid.
The 10-year-old bay mare had moved fields the day before, and her owner was not aware of the sinkhole's presence in her pasture. She was discovered in the hole on January 28, seven months pregnant.
Multiple crews from Buckinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service were called to the rescue in Hotspur at 11:18 a.m.
"Excellent planning and outstanding teamwork led to a successful rescue," a Buckinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service spokesman said in an interview with Horse & Hound.
The first crew on the scene was a team from Beaconsfield Fire Station, that worked to secure the area and contain the other horses in the field. The crew's watch commander, Carl Hayward, created a rescue plan before additional help arrived from Aylesbury Fire Station and Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service.
Denis Melia, station commander at High Wycombe and Gerrards Cross, said:
"The plan involved digging a trench and access ramp down to the bottom of the sinkhole, allowing the horse to make its own exit. This was a very well-managed incident — the initial crew made a thorough risk assessment, established a safe system of work from the outset and continuously reviewed this as more specialist assets and an attending vet were able to give their input. The plan was refined and quality assured by the contributions of the RBFRS animal rescue officer, station commander Jesse James, and the BFRS-led animal rescue technicians in attendance, led by watch commander Kevin Bamford."
The access ramp worked. After the trench was dug and ramp put into place, the mare climbed out to safety, no worse for her time in the hole.
What do you think of this impressive rescue? Share your thoughts below.
All images by Facebook/Buckinghamshire Fire & Rescue Service via Horse and Hound
WATCH NOW: Ginny's Incredible Adoption Story
