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.’
MailOnline has contacted Devon and Somerset fire and rescue for an update on the rider and the horse’s condition.
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’