Polo ponies rescued after horse box becomes stuck in ditch near Shipston

Fire crews from Warwickshire, Oxfordshire, Hereford, and Worcester, along with Hook Norton Veterinary Group, HG Heath and Sons agricultural contractors, and the police, worked hard to free the horse box yesterday afternoon.

The incident caused Armscote Road just outside of Ilmington village to be closed off for a number of hours as complex work was done to get the horses out of the van safely.

Thankfully, neither the driver of the horse box nor any of the seven ponies were injured during the incident, and the vehicle was undamaged.

A spokesperson for the Shipston Police Safer Neighbourhood Team said: “The driver, horses, and vehicle all came away unharmed—a good result!

“Thank you to the members of the public for your patience with the road closure and for your kind comments.”