Cliff fall horse winched to safety

Click for more pictures of Clem's cliff rescue

A horse which fell 120ft down a cliff in Pembrokeshire has been rescued after an eight-hour operation.

Fire officers, the coastguard, lifeboat crews, and the RSPCA joined forces to get three-year-old Clem, a Welsh cob, to safety.

He became wedged in a rock crevice on a ledge 30ft from the water after tumbling over the cliff at East Pickard Bay near Freshwater West.

A local vet sedated him and he was winched up the cliff face.

Clem was one of 20 horses grazing in a field alongside the cliff face.

He lost his footing as recent heavy rain had made the grass slippery. There was no fence to prevent him from falling over the edge.

Lighting had to be set up for the rescuers to carry out their work and, as soon as Clem had been sedated, a harness was attached and the winching began.

An inshore lifeboat was put on standby at the foot of the cliffs as a safety measure in case any of the rescuers lost their footing.

The cob had to be sedated during the rescue

Once the horse had been hauled to the top of the cliff, he was examined by the vet and it was discovered he had escaped with just scratches and bruising.

Although weak, Clem was soon recovering.

"We were concerned about possible bruising," said vet Paul Gannon, "but he has just got a few grazes to his body, and he's standing up and eating and drinking.

"We'll be keeping a very close eye on him over the next couple of days."

Mr Gannon said it had been a most unusual experience for him.

"I've never been to see a horse down a cliff before, but the rescue boys said they had had rescued cows in the past."

Barry Yelland from Milford Haven Coastguards said the joint rescue had been an excellent example of teamwork between the different agencies.

"The horse wasn't too distressed and it did appear to be quite well at the end," he said.

"It was a good result - we're very pleased."