These pictures show what happened when Buddy the pony went for an unexpected swim.

He has the Kent Fire and Rescue Service animal rescue unit to thank for getting him back on dry land after he fell through the cover of his owner’s swimming pool.

The six-year-old cob strayed through a fence into the garden at Swan Street, Wittersham, and is thought to have mistaken the pool cover for grass.

He was unable to get out of the 5ft deep water, so his owners called a vet and the fire service.

Watch manager Peter Campbell, from the rescue unit, said: “It was a textbook rescue.

“We put a firefighter into the water in a dry suit and he put some strops round the horse. We then led him to our crane and lifted him out.

“We took the strops off, and he walked away – it was that easy and only took 10 to 15 minutes.

“It had a good ending as the owners got their horse back and it was not injured, even though it had been trying to get out before we got there. The horse was fairly relaxed about it all.”

Mr Campbell said the unit had rescued horses from swimming pools before, but it was not a usual operation.

Most horses were rescued from ditches or mud or the unit could help if a horse could not get up.

“I have been here four-and-a-half years and this is the first horse in a pool I have dealt with, although older crew members have had others,” said Mr Campbell.

The animal rescue unit is based at Faversham fire station and has been going since around 2002.

It only deals with large farm animals such as cows, horses or pigs and has also helped out with elephants in trouble at Port Lympne or Howletts wild animal parks.

“If we were not there to rescue these animals, members of the public go in without the correct equipment and can get injured, and the fire service then has to go and rescue them,” said Mr Campbell. “These are large animals and it is easy to get kicked.”

Unit members undergo regular training in handling animals at agricultural college and have all the correct equipment and body protectors if needed.

Vets can be asked to sedate the animals if necessary, but in Buddy’s case this was not necessary.

The rescue was last Wednesday.