A much-loved Fife animal is in a “stable” condition after being dramatically rescued with the help of some serious horsepower.
Seven-year-old Spencer was freed by emergency crews, animal experts and a tractor after falling under the sewage pipe in a field in Thornton on Tuesday evening.
The alarm was raised shortly after 6pm after the horse was found trapped under the pipe in a field near Fife Council’s Southend depot.
Although a quad bike was used in an initial rescue effort, only a tractor had the necessary power to pull the horse to safety.
Scottish SPCA animal rescue officer Ashley Griffin said: “Poor Spencer had become spooked and ended up on his back with his legs trapped underneath the pipe.
“It was very important to free Spencer as quickly as we could and keep him as calm as possible throughout his frightening ordeal.
“The owner had initially tried to pull Spencer out with the assistance of a quad bike but this wasn’t working, so we then had to use a tractor, along with plenty of manpower.
“By 8.30pm Spencer had been brought to safety and, remarkably, he came away from the incident relatively unscathed, with only a few minor scrapes and cuts.
“It was a fantastic team effort and Spencer’s owner was extremely grateful to everyone involved in the rescue.”
The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service had deployed three units to help, including a special rescue unit.
Watch manager Mark McCormack said: “It was quite a challenging rescue.
“It was a long way from the road to get our equipment across the field but luckily we had a local tractor driver who helped get over there.
“There was an SSPCA officer on site and a vet who sedated the horse and that helped us a lot. The horse walked away, so that was a good sign.”