Natural disasters, such as sinkholes, are unfortunately becoming more frequent across the globe. In an incredibly unfortunate circumstance in Mirfield near Huddersfield, UK, a 27-year-old Chestnut stallion named Prince fell into one of these holes and required assistance from the local fire department for rescuing. Not only do these phenomena cause massive destruction to housing and roadways but also spell danger for animals that may encounter them unsuspectingly.

While traipsing through the grassy terrain at Calder Farm Equestrian, Prince the horse suddenly vanished from sight – only to be discovered inside a sinkhole that had formed in the middle of the farm’s field.

Thankfully, heroic firefighters arrived to the farm with members of the Technical Rescue Team and a veterinarian in tow. They swiftly began their rescue mission by covering the horse’s eyes and stuffing cotton in his ears as an attempt to ease him during this daunting time. Their dedication enabled them to successfully free the steed from this unexpected sinkhole!

To rescue Prince from the sinkhole he was stuck in, rescuers first dug a trench close to his body with a digger. They then attached ropes to him and pulled until they were able to remove Prince from the ground. Despite their efforts, it’s understandable that the horse remained scared throughout this entire process.

Damian Cameron, a technical rescue officer, highlighted how the successful outcome of the mission was due to collective effort from everyone involved.

“A sinkhole can be caused by a number of things, from old mines to running water. We’ve had similar incidents in the past where cows have got stuck in sinkholes, and we do have the option of putting slings around them and lifting them out,” Cameron stated.

He continued, “However, we felt this could be dangerous for Prince, and so we opted to dig him out instead. Once Prince had been sedated, we started to work on getting him out and back to the surface. By that point, his legs were a bit numb, and he still had a bit of climbing to do, but he managed to get out fairly quickly – the whole rescue took less than an hour.”

Rescuing the animal was a massive undertaking that required many heroes and even a digger to build an escape trench for it out of the sinkhole.

“A number of years ago, we carried out a rescue in the adjacent woodland when a horse had become stuck in a ditch, so the center knew that calling the fire service was the best thing to do. Prince was checked and thankfully recovered from his ordeal with no injuries – we were thrilled to be able to reunite Prince with his owner.”