Firefighters rescue horse after hoof becomes trapped in road

Crews from Rainton Bridge, Farringdon and South Shields, were involved in the effort to free the horse from a stretch of road in Houghton at around 1am on Wednesday, December 11.

Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service said the horse had escaped from a nearby field and was stuck by its hoof within the central reservation.

After the horse was sedated by a vet to allow crews safe access, crews were able to free it using Holmatro spreaders to force apart the central reservation barrier and released the hoof using a limb hook.

The animal was then left with police and the vet for treatment to a cut on its side.

A spokesman for Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service said: “Large animal rescues are thankfully quite rare, but can be very challenging due to the conditions that have caused the animal to get stuck and the unpredictable nature of distressed animals.

“On this occasion, for example, firefighters had to work with reduced lighting to prevent spooking the horse any further.

“Well done to the crews from Rainton Bridge, Farringdon and South Shields, who brought this incident to a safe conclusion.”