Watch the moment a horse left trapped in fallen tree trunk cage during Storm Eunice is rescued

This is the moment a horse who became trapped in a 'cage of fallen tree trunks' during Storm Eunice was cut free and rescued by firefighters near Andover.

10-year-old mare Cintia had a very lucky escape after she was left surrounded by huge tree branches from three Conifer trees, which came crashing down in a field in Collingbourne Wood during the height of the storm on Friday.

Left completely caged in, Cintia was sedated, before firefighters used chainsaws, just inches from her head and tail, to cut away large sections of the trees.

A tractor was then used to remove the legs so Cintia could be freed - miraculously completely unscathed. She was taken to a stable with lots of electric lights for the night.

• Ellen Harris, Veterinary surgeon

The ordeal began when Cintia's owner, Katie Rossiter, looked out of her window at home and noticed that the tree had fallen, and knew that the horse was in the same field as the tree.

Knowing that Cintia would have to be sedated to be rescued, Katie phoned the vets, as well as the fire brigade who arrived first.

Veterinary surgeon Ellen Harris said, "I spoke to Katie on the phone and adviser her to get a hay net in there to occupy Cintia.

"Then when I arrived, I was absolutely gobsmacked at the size of the trees. Then it started snowing the moment we arrived, which wasn't helpful either!

"The horse was totally trapped with just a few inches to spare, with large tree trunks on either side of her, Ellen said.

"It was remarkable, but she seemed very calm and seemed to be unscathed.

"My job was to sedate her, so that we could use power tools to extract her.

"The final bit of the rescue involved me using my coat to cover Cintia's head to protect her eyes which are always very worrying in these situations.

"I had a fireman protecting me while they chainsawed pretty close to her head.

"Then we were able to walk her forwards and out through the gap, which was just a wonderful sight."

Following her ordeal Cintia was taken to a stable for the night so she was safe an warm, tucked into her hay as if nothing had happened.

Owner Katie Rossiter then filmed the moment that Cintia was released back into her paddock at her home near Andover.

Ellen added, "It's nothing short of a miracle that Cintia was completely unscathed.

• Watch as Cintia is released back into her paddock at her home

Ellen continued, "Just a few inches difference in either direction and the horse would have been dead.

"There were probably three o four inches on either side of the horse where the logs were, and one was a good foot thick, so she would have been crushed.

"The fact that she survived at all is amazing, but to be so completely unharmed is just a miracle, it really is."