Firefighters Rescue Hapless Horse That Slipped And Fell In Swimming Pool

They say “curiosity killed the cat”, but who would have thought that one the most elegant animals known to mankind can find itself in such trot water? This is the bizarre moment firefighters winched a horse to safety – after the animal slipped on an ice patch and plunged into the swimming pool in the back garden of a family home in Walsall Wood, West Midlands. The five-year-old chestnut was stranded in icy waters in the freak accident when it toppled into the 6ft-deep outdoor pool at around 8.50am on Thursday, December 14.

It took ten firefighters two hours to pump all the water out of the pool, before they brought in a Technical Rescue Unit to winch the soaking animal to dry land. A local farmer loaned his forklift truck to help lift the animal up to safety.

Of course, this all called for a pun that leaves no one indifferent, including the West Midlands Fire and Rescue Service who, of course, tweeted on their profile: “We’re not horsing around...this really happened!”

A spokesperson for the fire service said: “This horse fell into a swimming pool off Castlehill Road, Walsall Wood. Extricated safely, and a vet confirmed it was in a stable condition. What a mare. Well done.”

Despite the size of their “patient” and the potential for chaos, everything went absolutely smoothly. The horse was very calm when the professionals arrived to yank him out and it was all over before 11 am.