A 19hh Shire gelding has been rescued by a team of firefighters, after becoming trapped in a ditch earlier this month.

The bay gentle giant found himself unable to escape the steep muddy banks so crews from Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service and Barnstaple Fire Station came to his aid.

Ground was dug around the ditch to create an easier exit for the Shire, and crews used strops and specialist equipment to lift him to safety.

Rob Cude, Group Manager at Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service, shared the positive outcome on 15 February.

“Amazing effort by crews from Holsworthy, Barnstaple and Special Ops rescuing a 19hh Shire horse,” he said. “Definitely the biggest horse I’ve been involved in rescuing.”

He added that it was a “great outcome” and that the gelding “couldn’t wait to eat grass again”.

Images by Rob Cude

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