FIREFIGHTERS came to the rescue yet again after a horse fell into a large ditch in Ulverston.

Fire crews from Barrow and Ulverston, including Barrow's on call team, were called save a large black horse on Wednesday July 17 at around 5pm.

The incident took place on Brick Kiln Road, Ulverston after a the rider, a 16-year-old girl, was thrown from the horse after it became ‘spooked.’

After this, the creature then fell down a six foot ditch alongside the road.

The girl suffered leg injuries from the fall.

A local farmer, a vet from Archway Veterinary Practice in Grange, the owner and firefighters all came to assist the struggling animal.

Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service station manager Roger Exley said: “It was a muddy, steep-sided bank.

“We used our Large Animal Rescue equipment to help the animal.

“We then carefully wrapped straps underneath the belly of the horse, which we then attached to the forks on the farmer’s tractor.

“Under instruction from the vet, we slowly calculated the lift up the steep bank.

“It was a really good rescue.

"No sedation of the animal was required.

“When we got it back up onto road level there was cuts on its head as it must have hit its head on the way down.

“It was able to walk to the tractor and other than the injuries to its head there was no further visible signs of injury.

"It seemed to just be happy just standing there.

“It was really glad to see that the horse was okay and the owner was obviously relieved that we were able to get it out safely."

The fire crew from Ulverston are special trained to deal with such with animals in such circumstances.

One local horse owner said that horses can become spooked by many things, such as the wind, birds, cars, rubbish on the ground, anything really.

They also added how even the safest of horses can react to the most insignificant of things.

She said: "A horse is a prey animal that still has primitive responses to self preservation from its surroundings.

"Therefore, this can cause unpredictable reactions that can lead the horse and rider into dangerous situations.

"On this particular occasion, it appears that the steepness of the ditch would have prevented the horse from having enough space to stand up and get out by itself.

"I would recommend anyone who goes out riding on their own to always carry a full charged mobile phone in case of an emergency and to tell anybody roughly where you are going and how long you intend to be gone for."