U.K. Fire and Rescue Crew Hauls Horse from Swimming Pool

Apparently, Mischief cannot walk on water.

Mischief had strayed from his own pasture and entered a neighbor's yard in Godshill. There, the dark brown New Forest Pony/Horse cross gelding fell through a bright blue plastic tarp and into the rectangular pool, where he found himself stuck and unable to climb out.

Trapped in the swimming pool, Mischief began to thrash around a bit, until a crew of a dozen firefighters from the Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service arrived to help him. The rescue workers accompanied by a local equine veterinarian, were able to lure the four-year-old equine into the shallow end of the pool.

Once sedated, Mischief could be rescued from the swimming pool.

With Mischief the pony/horse's owner standing by, Dr. Luke Gamble , of Pilgrims Veterinary Practice and Sky's Vet Adventures, sedated the equine, for Mischief's own protection and to keep the rescuers from accidental injury. This step is frequently taken as a safety measure in animal rescues, as officials pointed out on the scene.

"Any animal, small or large, that is trapped or in distress can be potentially dangerous," explained Jim Green, watch manager of the newly created animal rescue unit of the Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service. "It is important to try and keep the animal calm, keep humans away, and request the immediate assistance of the fire and rescue service's specialists to rescue the animal, rather than attempting to do so themselves."

Next, the rescuers fastened a harness on Mischief, using a winch and the strength of 12 men to lift the heavy wet pony/horse from the water and onto tarps on the backyard lawn near the swimming pool.

CTRL-click here to view a news video of the amazing rescue of Mischief the pony/horse from the Hampshire swimming pool (in a new internet window).

The pony/horse was unharmed by his watery ordeal, except that he bore a small cut on one leg. Mischief the pony/horse was able to stand and walk independently after he was rescued from the swimming pool. At last report, the pony/horse was grazing in his own pasture and seemingly staying out of - well - mischief.

Can horses swim?

Many horses actually do swim. Trail horses, in particular, can become adept swimmers, plunging into rivers and waters with riders aboard. Many equestrian training facilities offer swimming with horses as a bonding and exercise program, and equine veterinarians may prescribe swimming as a rehabilitative therapy for horses too.

Each July, scores of horse lovers gather in Virginia to watch the annual Chincoteague Wild Pony Swim , in which hundreds of wild equines swim together across a channel from Assateague to Chincoteague Island. Marguerite Henry's classic 1947 story, "Misty of Chincoteague," detailed this event.

However, a horse trapped in an icy swimming pool in winter, with a dangling blue tarpaulin nearby, is clearly in danger, as Mischief's ordeal proved.

What is the difference between a pony and a horse?

Mischief, the horse from the recent U.K. swimming pool rescue, is a cross between a pony and a horse. What is the difference? CTRL-click here to read "Horses and Ponies - What's the Difference?" in a new internet window.