This was the terrifying moment a brave young mother battled to keep her beloved horse calm as sea water closed in on the animal after it became stuck in mud ‘like quickly’.

Exhausted and splattered with mud, Nicole Graham clung to her trapped horse Astro for three hours holding her head high in a race against the tide.

The 78-stall show horse had sunk into quagmire-like mud and faced the prospect of drowning as the water rose around her.

‘Like quickly’: Both Miss Graham and her horse were stuck up to their waists in mud as the tide closed in.

Desperation: Nicole Graham comforts Astro, her 18-year-old show horse, after he gets stuck in coastal mud

Swallowed: Astro was quickly stuck and Miss Graham’s efforts to free him only resulted in her sinking deeper into the bog herself.

Miss Graham had just come off a post-poo ride with her daughter along the coast near Geelog, south of Melbourne, where 18-year-old Astro suddenly sank into the mud.

Before he could deform, the smaller horse her daughter Paris was riding was also partially swallowed by the mud.

After dragging themselves through the mud, Miss Graham helped her daughter and the other horse to firmer ground.

However, Astro became stuck and her efforts to free him only resulted in her sinking deeper into the bog herself.

To the rescue: Vet Stacey Sυlliva prepares to sedate Astro in a bid to get him out safely

Tide terror: The brave mum tries to keep the horse calm as rescuers work to free the animal.

Emotional: Miss Graham said it was heartbreaking to see her horse so exhausted and struggling.

As Paris approached her car and called for help, Miss Graham stayed by her horse’s side. She bravely held on to his pick, terrified he wouldn’t be freed before the tide came in.

After a “terrifying” three hours, rescuers managed to pull Astro and Miss Graham out of the mud.

Miss Graham, who owns more than 10 horses and a tackle cabinet business, told the Geeloп Advertiser how a quiet afternoon stroll had ended in terror.

She said: ‘It was terrifying. It was also heartbreaking to see my horse exhausted and struggling.

Racing the tide: Water is closing in on the horse as the group struggles to free it.

Stuck fast: Rescuers look for ways to free the injured horse as time slowly runs out

Freed: Astro is pulled out of the mud with the help of a farmer’s tractor

‘We cried down and up. There was mud everywhere and every time I moved it would suck me down. It wouldn’t let us go.

After hearing that her daughter and horse were safe, she returned to Astro and prayed that rescuers would get there before the tide swallowed the horse.

She added: “I’ve been riding here for 20 years and I’ve never had a drama. I’ve always seen some sign and I didn’t realise it was so boggy.

‘When I saw the dust from the rescue trucks I was so relieved. I was starting to feel overwhelmed.

Fire Lieutenant Roger Bυckle, who was among the team of helpers, said: “It was like a quick hit.”

Fire crews worked with a local farmer, who provided a tractor, and a veterinary team. The firefighter used hoses and a witch, but the dad of this team was successful.

Sedated and exhausted: Astro collapses to the ground after being pulled out of the mud, to the relief of rescuers.

Saved: Veterinarian Stacey Sυlliva helps Astro to his feet as the effects of sedation wear off

A local helicopter was put on standby as a last resort to pull Astro out of the mud.

The combined rescue effort paid off. With minutes to spare before the water reached him, Astro, who had been sedated by veterinarian Stacey Sullivap, was pulled out of the mud with the help of the farmer’s tractor.

“It was a race against the tide and thankfully we worked,” said Lieutenant Buckle, who praised the efforts of everyone, including Miss Sullivan, whose work sedating Astro made it easier to free him.

Miss Sullivan said Astro was dehydrated but had coped well.

“A lot of horses don’t survive and I think without the owner the chances of survival would have been much lower,” she said.It’s all over: Miss Graham leads her horses away from the beach after the traumatic rescueAftermath: Astro and Miss Graham are taken