Incredible moment huge horse is lifted out of a ditch after toppling in upside-down and trapping female rider beneath it
- Fire crews in Yelverton, Devon were called to report of horse toppling into ditch
- They arrived to find a young rider trapped underneath the 18-hand animal
- A local farmer came to the rescue with a telehandler that they used to winch the horse out of the ditch
Fire crews had to rescue a horse from a ditch after it toppled in upside-down and pinned its young female rider beneath it.
The 18-hand horse got into difficulty in fields near Yelverton, Devon on Saturday.
Rescuers assisted the rider with first aid until paramedics arrived and a local farmer and vet were called to help rescue the horse.
The farmer used their telehandler, similar to a mobile crane, to first pick the horse up by its hooves.
Footage however shows the horse became panicked and started to jolt its legs in a bid to get free from the straps attached to its legs.
The mare quickly calmed down and soon after allowed itself to be lifted out of the ditch to safety.
A spokesman for Yelverton Fire Station said: ‘On Saturday, Yelverton fire crew and the line rescue team from Camels Head were called to a horse stuck in a ditch at a local Yelverton Livery.
Fire crews had to rescue a horse from a ditch in Yelverton, Devon after it toppled in upside-down and pinned its young female rider beneath it
‘Yelverton crew arrived first and found a large horse, 18 hands!, stuck on its back in a ditch and a young lady rider suffering the effects of the horse falling on top of her.
‘Crews rendered first aid until the paramedics arrived and then assisted the line rescue team, a telehandler provided by a local farmer and a vet to rescue the horse.
‘Our thanks to the local farmers that regularly turn out with their telehandlers to assist at incidents like this, very community spirited of them.’
A spokesman for Yelverton Fire Station said: ‘Our thanks to the local farmers that regularly turn out with their telehandlers to assist at incidents like this, very community spirited of them’