The RSPCA recently came to the rescue of a young pony who had slipped into a Dartmoor leat and was unable to climb out by herself.

Visitors to Clearbrook Leat between Tavistock and Plymouth were delighted when a foal was successfully rescued from a three-foot-deep, waterless leat by the animal welfare charity.

A leat is an artificial watercourse or aqueduct dug into the ground to divert water and historically used in mining on Dartmoor and other parts of the West Country.

The little pony was spotted, stuck and unable to free herself by walkers who reported the situation to the charity on April 1.

RSPCA inspector Dale Grant attended the scene and met with the Dartmoor Commoners Council.

Because the trapped pony was just a foal, he and one other person were able to help with the rescue without specialist equipment, and they were able to swiftly reunite the youngster with her mum who was watching close by.

Inspector Grant said: “Despite the call coming in on 1 April, this was no joke! It appeared the pony had taken an unfortunate slip down into the moat area, and was simply unable to climb out herself.

“It’s not uncommon for the RSPCA to be contacted about large animals in need of help or rescue, and ordinarily, we’d need the assistance of the local fire and rescue service and their specialist teams and equipment to do this.

“Thankfully she wasn’t injured, just a little nervous, so we were happy to be able to help. It was lovely to watch her trot off to her mum.”