Owner pays tribute to 'amazing' firefighters after horse saved
A horse that got stuck in its stable would have been put down if it wasn't from the "amazing" work of firefighters, its owners have said.
Julie and Darren Tustin, who own two horses at Home Farm Barn in Diddlebury, near Craven Arms, have paid tribute to Shropshire Fire and Rescue's animal rescue team which they say saved the life of 23-year-old Troy.
The couple had returned home from a day out on Monday when they found Troy collapsed in his stable with no energy left to get up. Unable to move him, they thought it may be the end for the elderly horse until the specialist crew from Wellington came to the rescue.
Julie, 49, said: "I came home at about 5.30pm and I could see he was across the doorway which he never would be normally. I immediately knew something was wrong. They can get 'cast' which means the the horse gets itself into a position where its legs are up against the wall and it can't get itself up."
She said first neighbours and then vet Nick Graham of Severn Edge Veterinary Group tried to get Troy up and out, but to no avail. She said:
"If they stay down for too long they build up toxins in their muscles that damage them – I thought he'd have to be put down."
But then Mr Graham called the fire service, she said.
"When they said they were going to drag him out I was distraught, I thought they were going to properly rough him up. But how they did it was amazing – with specialist slings and drag boards they managed pull a sedated Troy out of the stable."
She said after 10 minutes he got up and went to graze with their other horse, 20-year-old Duke.
"Troy and I wanted to publicly thank our neighbours the Morgans and Farnells, the vet Nick Graham, Craven Arms fire service and the specialist animal rescue team from Wellington. They were absolutely wonderful," she added.
