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Contact: Sierra Frisbie, 415-895-8946
POINT REYES STATION, Calif. – On Tuesday afternoon, National Park Service (NPS) rangers, Bolinas Fire, Marin Humane and the Marin Sheriff’s Search and Rescue Unit as well as the Sheriff’s Mounted Posse responded for a horse that had fallen and become trapped in a steep ravine.
The challenging rescue, which ended up taking seven hours to complete, unfolded when the teams received a call about a fallen horse in a remote section of the Coast Trail near Bass Lake in Point Reyes National Seashore. Though the rider was thankfully uninjured, responding units soon discovered the 20-year-old Arabian gelding wedged in a precarious position down a densely vegetated ravine. Access to the site was made difficult by the challenging topography, poor footing, and the large animal in distress.
After unsuccessful attempts to unwedge or assist the horse back to its feet, a rescue plan was created involving a technical rope system to safely extract the animal by pulling him approximately 30-feet up the ravine to the trail above. Over fifteen on-site responders, low angle rescue kits, hundreds of feet of anchor and hauling rope, webbing, cargo nets, slip sheets, animal rescue sleds and J-hooks were all used to package and haul the horse. Once back on flat ground, and with medical care from responding veterinarian Teresa Crocker, DVM, the horse was eventually able to stand and walk several miles out to the Palomarin trailhead where a trailer was waiting to transport him to an equine hospital.
The owners expressed gratitude for this team effort in saving their horse and are relieved to report he is recovering well today.
Last August, several NPS rangers and members of Marin Search and Rescue attended a Large Animal Technical Rescue (ATR) course hosted at the Morgan Horse Ranch in Point Reyes National Seashore. This course, taught by ResQFAST and sponsored by the HALTER Project, helps responders to train for these complex scenarios involving large animals, in both backcountry and municipal settings. Teamwork between local agencies, specialized training and rescue equipment helped ensure this mission’s ultimate success.
Last updated: June 27, 2024