Fire crews rescue pony from ditch

The pony only suffered minor injuries in the incident

More than 20 firefighters were needed to rescue a pony which had fallen down a 4ft (1.2m) ditch on Sunday.

The owner of the 32-year-old New Forest pony called the fire service when the animal got trapped in Cannon Hill Plantations, Ferndown, Dorset.

Firefighters used shovels, spades and axes to remove tree stumps and mud before winching the pony free.

Crews said the rescue was difficult because the incident happened about half a mile from the nearest road.

A spokesman from Dorset Fire and Rescue Service said: "We worked extremely hard as a team and with the vet to ensure we were able to free the horse as quickly as possible causing the least amount of distress.

"We have recently had training in animal handling and this was of great benefit in this situation."