A horse which fell down a cliff has been rescued by firefighters in Aberdeenshire.

Fire crews were called out the incident in Cammachmore shortly after 1pm on Thursday.

More than 50 people were involved in rescuing the horse, which had slid part-way down the cliff.

Firefighters put the unhurt horse in a sling and lifted to safety using a digger.

Crews had earlier tried to coax the animal, named Tara, up the embankment but she had succumbed to fatigue.

A spokeswoman said: "The horse was then transferred to the care of the vet and its owner and after an initial assessment Tara was back to her usual self, running around her field."

Station manager Andy Buchan, who oversaw the operation, said: "This was a challenging incident and our firefighters did an outstanding job in very challenging conditions.

"We were able to use our specialist rescue skills and equipment to find a solution and, by working in close partnership with the vet, farmer and owner we were able to bring this to a safe conclusion.

"We are glad to see Tara happy and back in her field."

The Scottish SPCA also provided assistance to the emergency services.