A horse rescued from a hole at the weekend has sadly had to be put to sleep.
Firefighters and vets came to the aid of the mare called Oriana after it got stuck in a field in Widdale near Hawes on Saturday.
Hawes firefighters, a specialist animal rescue team from Ripon and staff from Wensleydale Vets battled for several hours to free the horse.
It had been hoped the animal would recover following the ordeal, however its owners have announced it had to be put to sleep.
They said in a statement: “Despite the great efforts of the fire brigade to get her out and our fantastic vet, we had to make the very hard decision to put her to sleep this morning.”
Wensleydale Vets said the mare had been bright on Saturday afternoon after being rescued but they had concerns regarding whether she would regain the use of her back legs.
Vet Amy Cockett said: “On Sunday morning although Oriana had been eating and drinking well, she was showing no signs of regaining strength in her back legs.
“Her nerves in her lower limbs were damaged to the point where she would never walk again.
“For this reason, we made the difficult decision to put her to sleep.
“We are so thankful for the fire crews’ assistance on Saturday – without them we would not have been able to give her a chance.
“It has been a tragedy, but the owners are very grateful for everyone’s kindness and compassion.”
