Two horses were pulled from a bog in Tilbury this weekend (Saturday 8 October) in a dramatic rescue carried out by the RSPCA and Essex County Fire and Rescue Service.
Crews from Corringham fire station and Great Baddow and South Woodham Ferrers animal rescue units rushed to the scene at Fort Road in Tilbury, after receiving an emergency call from a member of the public.
An emergency call had been made on Saturday morning to report two young horses stuck fast in a boggy ditch. On arriving, RSPCA inspector Marie Hammerton joined the emergency services and found the two colts in real danger.
Inspector Hammerton said: “Both colts had slipped down a steep bank into a bog that has sewage outlets flowing into it.
“They were absolutely submerged, only their heads were sticking out from the thick muck, it was very worrying.”
It took emergency services teams over two hours to free the horses from the bog, both of whom had become exhausted. An attending vet and inspector Hammerton became increasingly concerned about the horses’ health.
She added: “The vets were also very concerned about the horses, there was no way they could be left at the site. They were completely covered head to hoof in muck and we were worried they would become seriously ill from the trauma and exhaustion, so we took them straight to the vets for care.”
As the UK’s largest animal welfare charity, the RSPCA sadly sees a large number of abandoned horses on a regular basis. It is not uncommon for young male horses (colts) to be abandoned, as they cannot directly produce foals they can be seen as worthless and subsequently abandoned.
Inspector Hammerton said: “We don’t know if these two young ponies were abandoned, however we have yet to have anyone come forward to claim them, and they were clearly roaming around this location without any fencing or form of identification.
“Essex Horse and Pony Protection Society were on hand to transfer the two ponies to House and Jackson vets where they have been receiving expert care and treatment, along with a much needed bath. If nobody comes forward to claim them after seven days, we will be looking for new homes for these two.
“I’d like to thank to Essex Fire and Rescue and all the team that came out to this rescue, especially when it involves them getting waist-deep into a sewage-filled bog! We are always so grateful for their assistance when it comes to saving the lives of animals. Also, a huge thank-you to the member of the public who spotted these horses whilst out walking her dog, this location was so remote there’s no way they would have been found so we are so grateful to her for calling for help.”
The horses are responding well to plenty of TLC at House and Jackson Veterinary Hospital in Blackmore, Essex. Nicknamed Jammy and Dodger by the veterinary team, they are thought to be approximately six months old, and although a little nervous, the team are hopeful the two colts will make a full recovery and be able to be rehomed soon.
Anybody with any information about these horses can call the RSPCA inspector’s appeal line in complete confidence on 0300 123 8018.
To assist our Inspectors in carrying out their vital work with rescues such as this, please text HELP to 78866 to give £3 (Texts cost £3 + one standard network rate message).
