'Wedged' Horse Rescued In San Juan Capistrano

SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, CA —Orange County Fire Authority firefighters take care of all residents in their jurisdiction, especially the four-legged kind.

Monday evening, OCFA technical rescue helped free a trapped horse that spooked and became wedged between broken concrete and rebar, they say. The recovery required all-hands-on-deck coordination of efforts from firefighters, air support, and a veterinarian, spokesperson Capt. Sean Doran tells Patch.

The rider called 911 saying they were on horseback, riding a horse that had spooked, OCFA spokesperson Sean Doran tells Patch.

The rider did a quick, safe dismount and the horse fled up a steep, sandy slope.

"Somehow, the horse became wedged on its back under a six-foot ledge of concrete," Doran tells us. "The horse's head was wedged underneath the concrete on the slope, making it impossible to free itself."

All firefighters knew was that there was a trapped animal and a possible rider down. Officials made primary and alternate plans depending on what they would face upon arrival.

"The first goal was to get the horse out and on its own feet," Doran says.

The technical firefighters raced up the sandy trail, across a creek, carrying generators, webbing and power equipment in full gear.

"Technical rescue trucks arrived and worked in conjunction with the vet to sedate the horse and prepare it for the next phase of the rescue: getting it out from underneath the concrete ledge.

Incident command decided that a helicopter could pull, then lift the horse out of danger: horizontally, before vertically.

Firefighters fashioned the rigging for such a complex maneuver.

"With the horse sedated by the vets on the scene, the technical rescue firefighters rigged an alternative rope and webbing system to secure the horse for a helicopter hoist out of the concrete overhang," OCFA explained. "The helicopter crew was then able to execute a precision operation to hoist the horse through the jagged concrete without further injuring the equine."

The helicopter pilots used the truck as a guide. They lifted the horse up and then moved it over to an open area, Doran explained.

At last, the horse stood and was able to walk on its own. The vet evaluated the horse at the scene, and a member of the closely-knit horse community provided transport home.

"The horse community really pulled together for the rider," he said. "It was an amazing team effort by our technical rescue team, our air operations crew, firefighters, medics, and the whole horse community."