A GREEDY pony landed up to his neck in trouble after gorging on apples and toppling into a swimming pool.

The brown Moorland Pony, appropriately named Fat Boy, made a splash after breaking into a garden on Mount Wise for a late night snack.

Lured by the temptation of apples in a tree, he and a black-and-white friend snuck into the garden at about 3am yesterday.

Horses are known to get 'punch drunk' from eating too many apples – which could have resulted in Fat Boy's fall, but a tarpaulin sheet over the pool is believed to be to blame for his mishap.

Sarah Penhaligon, 28, was asleep in her bungalow when she heard noises of the pony in distress – and feared the worst.

"When I looked outside I saw this massive animal in the dark and I thought the Beast of Bodmin was in the pool," she said.

"I was terrified, but when I took a closer look I realised it was a horse. I didn't have a clue what to do next – who do you call when there's a horse stuck in your swimming pool?

"I dialled 999 and they asked which service I wanted, and I said I didn't know – I just had a horse in my pool and needed help."

Police and fire crews were tasked to the scene while Fat Boy tried to climb out of the water.

Ms Penhaligon said: "He looked a bit panicked – he was trying to get out of the pool but couldn't manage it and was getting very tired.

"I decided to sit down next to him and calm him down, so I fed him some apples to keep him occupied.

"The other horse just kept munching away from the tree and didn't seem to care about what was going on at all."

Police and fire crews arrived but were unable to help Fat Boy – who acquired his name due to a love of food and his big belly.

A specialist crew from Bodmin fire station were called in to deal with the incident, putting hay bales in the pool to make a step for the pony to climb out.

They finally got Fat Boy out of his watery misery at about 5am after giving him a helping hand out with harnesses.

A spokeswoman for Trenance Riding Stables, where Fat Boy lives, said it was a tough night for the pony.

"It looks like he was scrounging for apples in the garden and fell in when he trod on the tarpaulin over the pool," she said.

"It's a good job he's got a lot of bulk, as it kept him warm while he was stuck in the water.

"After he got out he was taken back and checked over by a vet, but luckily he's fine," she added.