Charity using horse mannequin for rescue training

Dawn Vincent said the mannequin horse was about 15 hands (1.5m) tall

A horse mannequin brought for a Devon charity thanks to donations is being used to train for complex animal rescues.

The Mare and Foal Sanctuary in Newton Abbot said the mannequin could be used to demonstrate the safest way to recover larger animals from dangerous situations.

Dawn Vincent, director of fundraising and communications, said: "It allows us to train with a life-size model and put ourselves in realistic situations."

She said Max the mannequin was fully operable with realistic joint and muscle articulation, muscle definition and a similar weight to a real horse.

Ms Vincent said: "Our supporters are amazing, and we raised over £9,000 and it also prompted the most amazing in-memory gift of over £175,000 funds from a lovely supporter.

"It has had a tremendous impact. We have not just been able to get the mannequin, but we have been able to secure some of our other projects through all of the gifts we have received."

Dawn Vincent said training exercises included pretend road traffic collisions and hospital trips

The charity has been working with The British Rescue and Trauma Care Association.

Ms Vincent said: "It is a really good example of charities working together ultimately to support the public.

"This training allows blue light services to practice in these difficult situations and keep everybody safe in the process.

"He is a pretty big horse - probably 15 hands. It is as tall as we are."

She added: "He has been in some tricky situations so our staff can really get to know how to best use their energy to move an animal that size."

Syra Bowden, head of equine welfare, said: "We feel it was a big success because it gave us the chance to practice potentially life-saving manoeuvres in a safe environment.

"Rescues involving large animals like horses and ponies are dangerous and can result in the death of the equine and injury to rescue team members, so it’s important for us to rehearse practical, realistic scenarios and to share that knowledge."

She also said many category one responders had little experience of working with equines, so the charity was keen to share their professional knowledge for the "best outcome in critical rescue situations".