Two ponies and their young riders were rescued by four crews of firefighters after getting stuck in wet bogland.

Surrey Fire and Rescue Service crews from Camberley and Woking, plus animal rescue vehicles from Painshill and Esher, staged a challenging but successful rescue after being called at 4pm on Wednesday (December 28).

The call initially said two children were also trapped, but the first crew to arrive found it was just the ponies who needed rescuing from the thick, wet mud near Normandy.

Alan Daly, animal rescue specialist at Painshill, explained how the incident unfolded.

"It was a bit of a tough one to be honest," he said.

"When we got there it was very difficult access because they were about 15 minutes' walk from the main road through some very heavy bog and woodland so we made our way to the scene.

"The ponies were not trapped but they were kind of stuck in the bog. They couldn't get out. They had gone too far in.

"We had to find a route out where we could take the ponies out safely. We found another way out but it took some considerable time to find because it was quite foggy and marshy all over."

Everyone was relieved after the successful rescue of the two ponies

The crews then decided to try walking the ponies out along that route which was about 300 metres.

However, one became tired after 100 metres and got stuck again, while the other made it just 150 metres.

The firefighters were waiting for a vet to arrive but, as that was taking some time, they decided to check on the animals again.

Mr Daly said: "After about 40 minutes I reassessed the situation again and checked the animals' welfare. They had recharged their batteries."

'Excellent rescue effort'

Two firefighters led the horses forward with two behind giving them encouragement and, happily, everyone made it out of the bog safely at about 7pm.

The vet then checked the animals and gave them the all clear to travel back to their stables where they got warm and had some food.

Mr Daly said: "The two children were over the moon and obviously the owners were as well and they were very grateful to Surrey Fire and Rescue Service for a successful rescue."

Thanking the four crews who attended with him, Mr Daly said: "They did a really remarkable job really because of those conditions. It was very difficult with the fog, it got dark, it was getting very cold. Excellent effort from the fire service."

Safety advice for riders

Sharing a safety message for other horse and pony riders, Mr Daly said: "At this time of year where bogs are getting quite wet and deep we would ask horse riders not to put their animals in such a situation because it's quite distressing for the animals and accidents can happen and if we can prevent people riding in the bog it would be better for everyone's safety."

However he added in this situation, in which the two adults and two children had gone out "for a bit of an adventure and got a little bit lost," no-one was to blame.

Riders are also advised to wear hi-vis jackets and carry a mobile phone at all times in case they need to get help.