Emergency services have issued warnings after they went to the rescue of a horse and rider stuck in deep mud on a beach.
Humberside Fire & Rescue Service sent two crews to the Cleethorpes coast on Sunday (24 July), where the horse and rider were stranded on a mud bank.
A spokesman for the service told H&H there were other people nearby who had also got into trouble in the mud and called 999. It is thought the horse was stuck up to its neck, but had managed to free itself by the time the crews, one with specialist animal rescue equipment, arrived.
“It was covered in mud,” she said. “The crews used the rescue equipment to help the rider out, and tried to calm the horse down. They decontaminated it; rinsed the mud off gently, and helped ease the stress.”
The spokesman said the horse and rider were not locals.
“The rider had checked the tide times, which is really important, but you need to be mindful in case there could be big areas of mud from the rivers as they make their way to the sea,” she said.
“Even if the tide is out and it’s a brilliant sunny day, these areas can be very claggy. And of course, the horse being heavier, as they tried to get out, they were digging themselves deeper and deeper. It must have been very scary for the animal, but the crews have specialist animal training so were able to calm the horse and rider, and I’m pleased to say the horse was left in the hands of the rider and didn’t need any more assistance. The rider was fine too, just a bit shaken up.”
It is thought horse and rider had been riding on the beach, and were going back a different way when they hit the mud.
The fire service’s incident commander John Lowden said: “As a message to the public, please, please be aware of the mud and clay just off the beach. There’s been a number of adults and children rescued in the last few weeks. The Coastguard will endorse this; if you’re going to use the beach, please do so safely.”
Mr Lowden said anyone in trouble should call 999, and recommended the what3words app to help emergency services find their location.
You might also be interested in:
‘The water turned red’: rider’s beach warning after horse suffers horrific injury
Safety warning after exhausted horse freed from belly-deep mud in major rescue mission
‘With an incoming tide this could have ended in a different way’
Subscribe to Horse & Hound this spring for great savings
Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade your subscription to access our online service that brings you breaking news and reports as well as other benefits.
