A HORSE had an absolute ‘mare when it managed to tangle both of its front legs in a metal gate which had come off its hinges.

Fire crews rushed to the scene to free the trapped animal in Edenbridge shortly after 10am on Tuesday.

A vet sedated the horse then firefighters cut through the metal bars ensnaring it while using riot shields to protect themselves.

The animal was freed within minutes of being trapped and a vet said it only suffered “superficial injuries”.

Technical response unit crew member Charlie Eastwell, of West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service, said: “Fortunately the horse hadn’t been trapped for too long when the owner rang us for help so it wasn’t too distressed, which is often part of the danger with rescues like these.

“In these situations we work closely with a vet, not only for the animal’s safety, but also our own.

“Because we needed to cut the gate to free the horse, it was agreed the vet would sedate the horse, to prevent any further distress, and also to prevent it from trying to move any further and risk injury to itself.

“We were then able to use the pedal cutter from the East Grinstead fire engine to cut through the bars on the gate, while using our own riot shields as protection.

“Once we had removed the gate, the vet was able to check the horse over thoroughly, and fortunately it only suffered minor, superficial injuries.”