SHE was a prize-winning thoroughbred, but her greatest achievement was winning the heart of owner Cathy Wareing.

Now, the death of tragic Kareba - a 15-year-old show hunter who was dramatically rescued from a ditch by firefighters on Tuesday morning - has left a gaping hole in horse-mad Cathy's life.

Although Cathy keeps horses at Paul's Farm, in Dunkirk Lane, Leyland, it was Kareba and the horse's eight-week-old foal Xena she loved the most.

So when she woke on Tuesday morning to find Kareba painfully struggling in a ditch close to the farm, Cathy called on firefighters and a vet to help release the Royal Lancashire Show prize-winner.

Despite a delicate rescue operation, Kareba had suffered severe stress and injuries during her two-hour ordeal and Cathy had no choice but to have her put to sleep.

Now, the devastated mum-of-two must mother another youngster - Kareba's energetic foal, named in honour of television's Warrior Princess.

Cathy said: "We are absolutely devastated. Kareba was my horse and I can't believe what's happened.

"We have looked after her ever since she was born. It is like losing a close friend.

"I used to ride her all the time and we would compete in shows. It is such a loss."

Cathy said her children - Helen, seven, and nine-year-old Michael - are heartbroken.

She added: "They have been crying and are terribly upset. It has been incredibly hard to explain it to them, especially Helen.

We are still numb."

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