RNLI lifeguards from Newport were this morning faced with an unusual rescue, after a horse named Jasper threw its teenager rider into the water and began swimming out to sea. The four-year-old Welsh part bred was experiencing his first time at the seaside when he got over-excited.
Senior RNLI lifeguard Steve Evans says: ‘The initial report was that a horse had thrown a young girl off its back and had started swimming about 150 metres across the bay. The girl’s fall had been cushioned by the shallow water where she fell, so apart from being a little shocked, she didn’t require any first aid.’
RNLI lifeguard Sam Purnell mounted a rescue board and paddled out in an attempt to usher the horse to safety. Working alongside a fishing boat, they managed to coax the horse back to shore, where it was met by its owner Saran Davies, who is holidaying in the area with Tish and Gareth Reynolds, who bred Jasper.
Tish says:
‘We are exceptionally grateful to the RNLI lifeguards and everyone else who intervened before Jasper found his way across to Ireland!
‘He has just been broken so we are introducing him to new experiences, this is one he won’t forget in a hurry.’
An inshore RNLI lifeboat from Fishguard was called upon to assist with the rescue, but was stood down when the horse returned to shore. Coastguards from Fishguard and Preseli also assisted.
