A champion horse called Sundance Kid 2 got into a sticky situation when he became wedged in a muddy ditch.

The 30 year-old animal slipped into the ditch while exercising in a field off Ridgelands Lane, Chailey.

He soon got firmly entrenched in the small ditch, with only his head sticking out. His feet were stuck in several inches of Wealden clay and freezing ditchwater lapped around his chest.

Sundance's distraught owner, Sally Buller, of Kilnwood Lane, South Chailey, was unable to help him get free so called the fire brigade to help.

Fire crews arrived from Barcombe, Newhaven and Crowborough, were soon on the scene to help with the rescue but it was more than three hours before the horse was helped to safety.

Miss Buller said: "He is quite a sane horse and he seemed to realise he needed help to get out. He did not struggle and just let everyone help him."

Luckily, Sundance Kid 2 has more than a name in common with Robert Redford's character in the 1969 film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.

And like the wild west hero, his combination of luck, stamina and fighting spirit, meant he kept his spirits up and refused to give in until he was free.

The fire crews, including a specialist animal rescue unit from Crowborough, spent more than two hours trying to rescue the stricken animal, digging away by hand at the sides in an attempt to help him get out.

Miss Buller said: "I was in the water with him at the front end and the water was so deep, I could not touch the bottom. It was absolutely freezing and the vet was worried in case he got too cold."

The police were also on hand to redirect traffic because the lane was partly blocked by rescue equipment.

Finally, firefighters used a crane to hoist the very muddy Sundance Kid 2 clear of the ditch.

Miss Buller's mother, Alison Buller, also of Kilnwood Lane, said: "The fire brigade were absolutely marvellous and, remarkably, Sundance Kid stayed very much with it throughout his ordeal."

A fire brigade spokesman said: "He was covered in mud, as were the fire fighters. They looked like they had been mudwrestling."

Miss Buller, in her 30s, who has had the horse since she was 11, said: "He got up, found his feet, tossed his head and seemed fine. The vet walked him up and down a bit, and he did a bit of a hop and a skip and jumped around a bit."

Sundance Kid 2 has been Rider Club National Evergreen Champion four times and won a dressage to music award at Olympia three years ago. He was recently named Solvag Veteran Horse of the Year and regularly competes in dressage events.

Miss Buller, who works in the travel industry, and a local vet checked Sundance for signs of injury or stress, dried him off and gave him a clean blanket.

She said: "He is in a bit of shock now and is very stiff. He has a few cuts and grazes but apart from that, he is fine. I am going up to check on him regularly but I think he will live to see another day."

Martha Buckley martha.buckley @argus-btn.co.uk