Trapped pony rescued from pond

A pony has been rescued after being found trapped neck-deep in a pond.

Hampshire & Isle of Wight Fire & Rescue Service said a "sharp-eyed" family staying at an Ashurst campsite in the New Forest in Hampshire reported the pony stuck in the "treacherous" pond on Monday evening.

It sent an animal rescue officer and crews from Lyndhurst and Winchester at about 21:00 BST to the site on Lyndhurst Road.

The firefighters used their own inflatable paths to reach the animal and release it from the pond.

They were assisted at the location by an agister, a local official who helps with the management of the animals in the New Forest.

Thousands of ponies, cattle and donkeys roam free in the area.

The service said after it was retrieved from the water the "young and fit pony quickly recovered and was soon back off into the New Forest countryside".

The crews returned to their stations shortly after 00:00 BST.

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