Firefighters spend nearly four hours rescuing horse stuck in six-foot ditch near Horsham

West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service’s Technical Rescue Team were called to a farm in Bashurst Hill, near Slinfold, at around noon.

Crew commander Chris Kemp initially responded to reports of a horse which had fallen down a sink hole.

He said: “That was a bit worrying. But it looked liked a ditch had been dug previously which may had been filled it, but had become weakened by animals burrowing underneath it.

“It was quite awkward, we couldn’t get a vehicle to it.”

Working alongside a vet - who had sedated the horse - crew dug a space around it to attach a winch harness.

Another unit from Crawley was called in for assistance.

But the horse came out of sedation during the operation and firefighters were concerned it would panic once back on the ground.

Mr Kemp continued: “There was another ditch nearby and lots of trees and barbed wire, we didn’t want it to panic.

“But it was tired from thrashing around and as soon as we put it back on its feet it was moving.”

Crews left the scene just after 4pm.

The horse is said to be making a good recovery.