Horse rescued from neighbor's empty swimming pool in Britain

Feb. 4 (UPI) -- Emergency responders in Britain were summoned to a home where a neighbor's wandering horse had ended up stranded in an empty swimming pool.

Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service said its specialist animal rescue team was dispatched to the village of Grendon when a horse named Wizard ended up stranded Thursday in the 1.5-foot shallow end of an empty swimming pool that is about 5 feet deep.

Officials said Watch Managers Ben Stone and Phil Jones came up with a plan to build a makeshift staircase out of wooden pallets.

The rescue team then used hay, carrots and sugar lumps to coax the equine into climbing the stairs and exiting the pool.

"A vet was on hand to provide assistance if Wizard became distressed, but as the horse remained calm, they did not require Wizard to be sedated," NFRS said in a Facebook post.

The rescuers said Wizard had wandered into the pool area from a neighbor's property through a broken gate.