Fire crews in Britain have been called out four times to rescue a pony apparently stuck in the mud only to find that the animal simply has short legs.
Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service's animal rescue team was most recently scrambled to find Mayflower the Shetland pony happily grazing near to salt marshes by the River Test, Southampton, Hants.
Anton Phillips, the service's animal rescue specialist, explained that from a distance, Mayflower, who has been nicknamed Shorty, could appear to be trapped because it was half the height of other nearby ponies.
He said that it appeared to be a cross between a Shetland and a New Forest Pony giving the animal its unusual body shape which he described as being like a "sausage dog horse".
He added: "We have been called out several times for the animal now and it is getting a bit ridiculous.
"We are changing our mobilising policy for this particular area now and in future we will only send out an animal rescue specialist to evaluate the call-out before sending a full team out.
"These calls from the public are with good intent. When viewed at long range, this pony looks like it is trapped, particularly if it is standing still next to its mates which are twice its height."