This is the moment a former showjumping horse had to be winched out of a metre-wide well half-full of water, after falling in.
Foxy, a 12-year-old Irish Sport horse had to be pulled to safety in a harness upside down after she became stuck in water inside a well near Hinckley in Leicestershire.
Two fire crews were called to help the horse after she was heard crying for help after falling through a thin covering of wood over the well.
Foxy, a former showjumping horse, had to be winched out of a metre-wide well she had fallen into
When crews arrived they could only see the animal’s head and front legs poking out of the water filled well
Rescuers found her with just her head and front knees poking out and it was unclear how many hours the animal had been stuck for.
Mark Edwards, from Leicestershire Fire and Rescue’s Technical Rescue Team said: ‘Rescuing Foxy was out of the ordinary.
‘We’d never seen anything like this before.
‘It’s not a situation that we envisage, so you can’t train for it.
‘You’d never think a horse could get into that position in the first place.
‘When we got there we could only see her head, neck and front knees – everything else was submerged.’
Warwickshire Fire and Rescue’s Animal Rescue team were also called and helped secure a around the front of her body so she could be slowly winched out of the well.
As the rescue party weren’t sure of the success of the operation, they had to request a police marksman for the worst case scenario.
This was not necessary but in the process of being freed the back of one of Foxy’s knees was cut and fractured and dirty water seeped into the wound.
This led to a joint infection, and she required eight weeks of intensive care and treatment at Rossdales Equine Hospital.
Two fire crews were called to winch Foxy to safety from where she had fallen down into the covered well
Crews strapped Foxy to a harness as they began to pull her free from the water and the narrow well
It was unclear how long Foxy had been stuck in the well and the alarm was only raised when she cried out
As she was pulled out of the well, Foxy damaged one of her legs and later contracted a joint infection
.
The animal’s leg was cut and became infected and she needed veterinary care which ran to a total of £20,000
This treatment cost £20,000 of vet bills to get her back on her feet.
But the insurance only offered £2,000 towards the fees due to a previous tendon condition so the family had to use owner Amy Badge’s savings and sell her father’s bike to cover the cost.
Miss Badge only found out about the fate of her pet after her parents telephoned her after she had completed her first year exams at Bath University.
She said: ‘I’d just finished my last exam when my dad rung.
‘I knew something had been wrong as he had called earlier in the week asking me to call once I’d finished.
‘It’s unbelievable how far she’s come in eight months.
‘She’s still a bit wary around crowds of people but apart from that she’s almost fully recovered.’
Miss Badge has owned the animal for five years and used to compete in county showjumping events with her.
The grey mare suffered a fractured back knee from the rescue but eight months after surgery is now back on her feet.
‘The insurance company said that due to her tendon problems she was only worth £2000.
‘Obviously to us she’s invaluable so we’ve done whatever was necessary to get her healthy again.
‘I know I’ll never be able to jump her again but seeing her back on her feet was worth it.’
Owner Amy Badge said she is relieved the horse is back on her feet again after vets’ bills costing £20,000
Foxy is now back on her feet eight months after the ordeal, which left her with a fractured leg and infection
Foxy is now back on her feet after eight months following the ordeal at the field in Hinckley in Leicestershire
Miss Badge used to compete with Foxy at county showjumping competitions before she became injured