THE OWNER of a disabled elderly pony stranded upside down in a flooded ditch has thanked the firefighters who attended the scene.

Gini Woodward and her husband Dean were worried their pony Dilly, aged 27, might not survive her fall.

Gini said: ‘Dilly is not only elderly for a pony, but has an arthritic back and two front legs which are not as long as they should be, so she’s unstable and was stranded in a flooded drainage ditch on our farm.

‘Dean found Dilly upside down with her legs in the air in the ditch which is two feet deep and full of water. She couldn’t get out, even with encouragement.‘We called a friend to help and then called the fire brigade, in case we couldn’t get her her out.

‘We were worried the shock of the fall and any efforts to get her out might cause her a heart attack because she’s an elderly lady.

‘We haven’t a clue how she got into that position. She’s very unsteady on her feet because her front legs are shorter. May be she tried to scratch herself on a tree and lost her balance?’

Okehampton Fire and Rescue team arrived quickly on the scene and were ready to call for back-up with specialist lifting equipment from Exmouth.

Gini said: ‘By the time I got there there the fire brigade had turned up. There was someone ready to turn back any traffic from going down our lane, a vet, an HR officer and two fire engines. I was amazed at the response and it was helpful to know we had back-up in case we needed them.’

So, the couple tried one more time to coax Dilly out, using the lure of her familiar halter: ‘We were worried that Dilly might have a heart attack with all the stress if the fire brigade used all their equipment with all the people needed.’

So Dean, who had helped deliver Dilly when she was born, went to her with her halter. Gini said: ‘She turned her head at the sight of the halter and flipped herself over and was able to get out. It was such a relief.

‘I can’t thank the fire brigade enough, they attended so fast and took it so seriously. I did apologise for not needing them. But they were wonderful and just happy for us. Luckily Dilly has been checked by the vet and is ok.’