TV newsreader Louise Minchin helped launch the country’s first truck to help save stricken horses stranded in bogs.
The £75,000 vehicle will be used about 200 times a year and is packed with all the equipment needed to rescue large animals trapped in bogs and water-filled ditches.
It was unveiled at a ceremony attended by the BBC newsreader and Real Rescues presenter, who praised the “fantastic” addition to the fleet of vehicles used by Hampshire firefighters.
The Lyndhurst-based vehicle has been funded by the Petplan Charitable Trust.
Firefighters highlighted the dangers faced by crews trying to rescue terrified horses.
However, they said better training and improved techniques enabled them to perform 20-minute rescues that might have taken several hours in the past.
Jim Green, head of Hampshire’s animal rescue team, and Eastleigh firefighter Anton Phillips have received an award from the British Horse Society for teaching crews from all over the UK.
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