A coloured mare has been rescued from a nasty predicament, thanks to the help of the fire service and the RSPCA.

She became entangled in barbed wire fencing, and then slipped in mud and fell to the ground, and was unable to regain her footing.

Firefighters form County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service and RSPCA inspector Suzanne Edgar were called to her field at Peggy’s Wicket, Beamish, in Stanley. It took around 30 minutes to untangle the wire from her leg and then hoist her to safety.

Suzanne said the rescue was a great example of partnership working.

“This poor mare had got herself well and truly stuck,” she said. “She had a wound on one of her back legs just above the hoof caused by the barbed wire and then unfortunately slipped onto her side in the mud. The wound didn’t look too deep and she could put her weight on it – but we contacted a vet as well to be sure she was okay.

“Once the mud was washed off her, she looked like an entirely different horse. Her owner arrived shortly afterwards so I was able to reunite [the mare] with her owner and her horse friends in the field. I also gave the owner some advice about ensuring the fences in the area are maintained to make sure something like this doesn’t happen again.

“We’re incredibly grateful for the help of County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service who were able to help rescue this horse and bring her to safety. This was a great reminder of what we can achieve together for animal welfare.”

This month is the RSPCA’s Adoptober, when the charity shines a light on all the rescue animals available for adoption, for more information on rehoming from the RSPCA, click here.


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