Incredible footage shows the moment West Yorkshire firefighters pulled horse out of a sinkhole in Mirfield

A team from West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service (WYFRS) came to the aid of 27-year-old chestnut stallion Prince after he got stuck in the roughly 4ft (1.2m) deep pit on Saturday.

The firefighters, assisted by vets and the horse’s owner, first used a digger to carve open a shallow trench close to where Prince was trapped, in Mirfield. And a stunning clip then showed four of the servicemen using a rope to help tug the stricken animal out of the hole, which thankfully emerged completely unharmed.

Damian Cameron, a technical rescue officer with WYFRS, who assisted with the operation, said: “27yr old Prince found himself in a sinkhole in Mirfield this morning. Our Tech Rescue Team worked with the owners, a vet and received valuable assistance from a local excavator to rescue Prince who escaped with no injuries.”

Social media users were quick to praise the fire crew for their valiant efforts in rescuing the horse and saving his life. One wrote: “Brilliant work as always WYFRS, saving animal life!”

Another added: “Huge congratulations on a job well done, managing to rescue this beautiful horse.” A further user said: “Looks a tricky one mate. Well done to you and crews."