Dogs, cows and now a horse

THE frozen canals have certainly claimed the animals, with dogs and now horses falling through the ice, as well as a cow, which however was lucky and did not fall through.

It was a towpath walker who discovered the cob that had taken a stroll across the frozen Stratford-on-Avon Canal, with the ice giving way as the horse attempted to clamber out.

Fire crews responded

Stratford-on-Avon fire crews responded to the walker's call, it taking over an hour to get the animal, which belongs to the Champ Equine Rescue Charity, out of the water.

As the cob could not hoist itself out, a channel had to be cut through the ice to enable it to be rescued.

Not so lucky

Another cob from the same stables ventured onto the ice of the canal after someone had left a gate open, but that one wasn't so lucky, for though the fire service attended again, the animal died.

There is a fence between the field and the canal which has a small gap where the horses can go down to drink, though that field is shut off when there is ice on the waterway.