Pictures: Fire crews rescue horse stuck in Stiperstones marshland
A former polo horse was rescued by firefighters after becoming stuck in marshland.
The 32-year-old animal became trapped on land at Round Hill, Stiperstones.
Three Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service crews, from Wellington and Minsterley attended the scene and carried out a rescue operation with assistance from a local vet.
After being rescued the animal was placed on hay and under a blanket before being taken off in a horsebox.
The fire service said the horse is doing well following its ordeal, which began at about 10.20am on Saturday.
Craig Jackson, watch manager at Wellington fire station, said: "A vet was originally called to the horse that was stuck on marshland.
"The vet was familiar with our service and suggested we were called to assist.
"The nearest appliance from Minsterley was sent to ensure the scene was safe ready for the arrival of large animal rescue specialists from Wellington.
"The specialist crews worked alongside the vet to move the horse on to slide boards using specialist equipment.
"Once we were in a dry solid area the crews used a technique known as a role over whereby they role the horse using strops in a controlled manner which stimulates it to stand.
"This was successful and the horse was then put into a horse box and transferred to a stable to recover.
"These rescues are becoming more common to us and once again our specialist crews have carried out a successful rescue ensuring the safety of the public, our crews and providing the best possible outcome for the animal involved.
"We continue to provide this excellent service through regular training utilising our dummy horse bullseye at our base, but also by our specialists keeping crews updated with new techniques."
Wellington fire station specialises in large animal rescues and are sent to out to all horse rescues across the county and sometimes over the border into Wales.
The large animal rescue teams at Shropshire Fire and Rescue also rely on donations to invest in equipment and to maintain the equipment we currently carry.
The rescue on Saturday took about an hour, and crews left the scene at 11.36am.
