A horse had to be rescued after getting trapped in the living compartment of the lorry he was travelling in.
Stuck halfway
Ares 17.1hh warmbloodtried to jump over the breast bar into the living area of the rear-facing lorry, while he was travelling on the A331 in Aldershot.The nine-year-old gelding got stuck halfway, with his back legs in the travelling section, his front legs in the living and his face squashed up against the back door.
Firefighters from Rushmoor fire station attended the scene, with animal rescue experts and three vets.
It was decided to move the lorry to a quieter area, before attempting to cut the horse free free. Ares was sedated by the attending vets and the lorry was escorted by convoy to a car park outside the Kingfisher on the Quays pub in Camberley.
Nervous animal
Hampshire animal rescue specialist Jim Green was concerned sedating the horse wouldn’t be enough for him to cope during the rescue operation.
“Ares was a particularly nervous animal and we knew we would be using noisy equipment in a restricted space, which could be very hazardous for us and the horse,” Jim told H&C. “The other option was to anaesthetise him – we didn’t want to, but it was good to have a plan B.”
Fortunately, plan B wasn’t needed as they ran the sedation through a drip to supply a constant level and keep the horse heavily sedated throughout.
Very drunk
The crew used saws and drills to first remove the partition and then cut the bar, which was holding Ares up. They were then able to manoeuvre him back into his section and down the ramp.
“He was a very drunk horse, but was fine physically with hardly a scratch on him,” said Jim.
When Ares had recovered from the sedation, he was put onto another lorry – loading first time despite the ordeal – and taken to Liphook Equine hospital for a routine check-up.