Canterbury firefighters were called to an unusual job this morning, rescuing a big brown horse from a fast-flowing water race.
Jimmy the 16-year-old standardbred fell into a ditch on a West Melton property and became stuck, so his owners called the fire brigade who decided a digger was the only way of removing Jimmy from his watery predicament.
The excavator dug a ramp along the side of the ditch so Jimmy could be freed, and with a bit of gentle prompting and some hay, after about an hour Jimmy was freed.
The horse was checked by local harness racing trainer Geoff Dunn, who says he'll be a wee bit sore from his unplanned swim but should make a full recovery.
Newshub.
