Firefighters called to drowning horse in Northamptonshire canal pull off successful rescue

Firefighters pulled off a successful rescue of a horse, which was drowning in a Northamptonshire canal.

Emergency services were called to a canal lock at Long Buckby Warf in the early hours of Monday (December 18).

Police were on scene first keeping a Welsh pony’s head above water after it had fallen into the canal lock.

Northamptonshire Fire & Rescue Service posted on X, formerly Twitter: “A marvellous effort from all involved in the rescue of a drowning horse from a canal.

"The on-call crew from Daventry Fire Station along with Wellingborough’s animal and water rescue units were called to reports of two loose horses, one of which had fallen into a canal lock at Long Buckby Wharf.

"Quick thinking by the Daventry firefighters, who put a hose inflation system in place under the pony’s head to keep it from drowning and gave the pony much needed reassurance to keep it calm.

"Once crews from Wellingborough arrived, a plan was put in place to manoeuvre the pony to a more accessible area of the canal before it was safely removed.

“Upon rescue the pony was very cold and tired so was fully checked by a vet and both horses walked to a local stable for safety until the owner was located. We were at the scene for a little over three hours.”

The fire service also thanked everyone who helped to make the rescue a successful one.