A horse has died despite being rescued when it got stuck in mud.

The six-year-old chestnut mare was in a field off Portsmouth Road in Fisher’s Pond, near Colden Common, when the alarm was raised at 4.45pm on Monday.

A vet sedated the animal and firefighters dragged it free using plastic mats but the animal subsequently had to be put down for medical reasons.

A crew from Eastleigh and the animal rescue specialist from Lyndhurst attended.