Emergency services assisted with an unusual rescue of a horse that became trapped last week.
The horse, named Flicker, had fallen through a collapsed concrete dam spillway and was unable to free himself.
Working alongside SES Gisborne Unit, the attending veterinarian and the specialist team from Arthurs Creek and Strathewen CFA Large Animal Rescue, Gisborne Fire Brigade and other local crews spent several hours carefully assessing the situation and developing the safest rescue plan.
After being found about 8pm, Flicker was successfully freed at about 1am.
Despite suffering a few cuts from the concrete, the vet was confident Flicker would make a full recovery.
Flicker remained calm for much of the rescue, and once safely sedated, the specialist rescue team was able to carefully extract him.
Gisborne Fire Brigade said the rescue took patience, teamwork and the combined skills of everyone on scene to achieve the best possible outcome.