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Firefighters hoist sunken horse out of muddy water

Firefighters in Britain attached a harness to a horse stranded shoulder-deep in muddy water so the equine could be lifted to safety. Photo courtesy of West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service
Firefighters in Britain attached a harness to a horse stranded shoulder-deep in muddy water so the equine could be lifted to safety. Photo courtesy of West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service

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July 8 (UPI) -- Firefighters in Britain came to the rescue of a hapless horse that sunk up to its shoulders in muddy water.

West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service said a crew from the Bognor Regis Fire Station responded alongside a Technical Rescue Unit about 6:30 p.m. Monday after a farmer called to report a horse named Millie was stranded in muddy water.

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"When we arrived we found Millie standing quite calmly in the water, but she was unable to climb back out again as the bank was so muddy, and quite steep," said Adrian Kirkpatrick, crew manager of the Technical Rescue Unit.

Kirkpatrick said two crew members with water rescue training waded into the muck and put a harness on Millie, but the firefighters were still unable to coax the horse into climbing out.

"It became clear quite quickly though that she would need to be lifted out as she wasn't going anywhere under her own steam. The owner was right to give us a call to get Millie out of the water, as we would never advise members of the public to attempt a rescue from water -- especially when there is a large animal involved," Kirkpatrick said.

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The rescuers connected Millie's harness to a winch attached to an off-road vehicle and the horse was carefully pulled back onto dry land.

Firefighters were concerned when the horse wasn't able to immediately stand up on her own.

"Gently, we rolled her from one side over onto her other side, and this did the trick -- this was the adrenaline rush she needed to get back up again," Kirkpatrick said. "Thankfully she was none the worse for wear for her ordeal, just a little damp and wet from being in the water."

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