A PONY that got itself into a sticky situation has been rescued with help from the RSPCA and fire service.

The Exmoor pony was submerged in a ditch in the middle of a bog at Askham Bog Nature Reserve, near York, with water up to her shoulders and she was sinking fast.

Two passersby spotted her in distress and contacted Yorkshire Wildlife Trust which owns the nature reserve.

Animal Collection Officer Leanne Honess-Heather attended the scene on Monday, July 9 and secured a head collar around the pony to try and lead her out.

She said: “Unfortunately, the mud was so silty it was having a vacuum effect on her legs, she thrashed around a little but she was unable to walk out. She was stuck fast.”

Ms Honess-Heather then contacted fire services and an equine vet for assistance to sedate the pony and haul it out.

She said: "The animal rescue teams secured the slings and prepared a board to move her quickly away from the water. As they were unable to get any vehicles down to the area, everyone on scene grabbed hold and heaved her out to safety.

“The pony was checked over by the vet and thankfully she was found to have no serious injuries - only cuts and minor swelling. In no time at all she was back on her feet and moved to a smaller paddock where she could recover. All in all the rescue took four hours and it was a great team effort with organisations working tirelessly together to free this poor pony.”

Equine vet, Rachel Schneiders explained the pony only had minor scrapes and was eating grass again almost immediately. She will check up on her again soon but is confident she won’t be adversely affected.

The nature reserve is home to four grazing Exmoor ponies as part of a breeding programme. They are checked regularly by the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, which owns the land and was first on the scene.

Colin Hunter, Acomb station manager at North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue, said: “Some passers-by had been going off the beaten track and found the pony stuck in the bog they called the RSPCA who requested that the fire service attend.

“Three crews attended including the specialist animal rescue unit from Malton. A vet also attended to sedate the animal and we used manpower and slings to pull the pony up the bank to safety.

“It was trapped in about four feet of brackish water, mud and reeds but other than that appeared to be in good health.

“We were there for over an hour and a half but that is pretty good for an animal rescue such as this.”