Equine Animal Rescue

The term ‘animal rescue’ can be used to describe a wide variety of weird and wonderful situations, ranging from a crabbit moggy up a tree to the more dangerous scenario of an over turned lorry on the motorway. In recent years the fire fighters from Hampshire Fire and Rescue have been developing new techniques to make these highly emotional situations as stress free and as safe as possible for owners and animals alike. Their continuing dedication to this cause has now stretched to multiple television appearances and numerous training courses across the country for other fire fighters, qualified vets and in veterinary universities. The courses are supported by the British Equine Veterinary Association.

Whilst studying at Edinburgh University Sam was fortunate enough to be able to participate in one of these courses and at the end of 2009 Alison travelled down to Hampshire to attend this course. The course runs over two days, during this period the team demonstrate multiple techniques using specially designed equipment in order to rescue horses from awkward situations i.e. over turned trailers, horses in ditches and rivers. The course is a practical based course and gives plenty of opportunity for hands on experience using the horse mannequin ‘Lucky’. As well as training with the highly trained fire fighters the training involves some of the countries best equine vets giving lectures to those in attendance, these focus on modern techniques on how to quickly assess a horse following a successful rescue so as to get treatment started efficiently. If you find yourself in one of these unthinkable situations the best thing that you can do is to remain calm. Horses can sense any tension in your voice and body language.

Contact your local fire service and your vet. Always ensure to give clear, accurate directions to the exact location of your horse as this will facilitate a quicker rescue. Try to leave a contact mobile number.It is vital that the vet be in attendance to assess the horse as we can heavily sedate or in certain circumstances give them a full anaesthetic to make it less stressful for them. Furthermore it means there is less likelihood of anyone being injured, as once a horse is free they may try to get away to what they perceive as a safe area, so it is vital that there is always somewhere safe to put the horse (e.g. another lorry or field) so that it does not become stuck in something else! Remember to always think safety first- although your horse may not normally lash out when in a stressful situation they can panic and accidentally cause you or other members of the rescue team serious injury. Always stay out of the kick zone and if asked to, step back out of immediate danger. The less stimulation your horse receives at this time the better- the sirens and the flashing lights of the fire engines together with shouting heightens the tension the animal feels and reduces the efficiency of any sedation the vet administers. For further information about the Hampshire Fire Service visit