Orange County Fire Authority’s USAR team partnered with a therapeutic riding center to learn how to safely handle and rescue large animals during emergencies

By Carol Cormaci
Daily Pilot

ORANGE COUNTY, Calif. — Last week found members of the Orange County Fire Authority’s Urban Search & Rescue Team in San Juan Capistrano participating in a decidedly different kind of fire drill, one during which they learned the ropes (and reins ) of horse rescue operations.

The firefighters were hosted at the Shea Center for Therapeutic Riding, where Daily Pilot contributing writer and photographer Eric Licas joined them to learn the ins and outs of the operation for this story.

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A surprisingly high number of Orange County’s cities — roughly half — have equine and other large animal populations that must be considered during various emergencies, OCFA Battalion Chief Danny Goodwin estimated for Licas. Some firefighters, Goodwin acknowledged, have not had extensive experience with animals that can weigh anywhere from around 1, 000 pounds to just over a ton, depending on their breed and build. It can obviously be a dicey proposition for those unfamiliar with the animals to rescue them from dangerous situations such as wildfires.

The battalion chief had riding experience and helped start the training program in 2021, after one of the Shea Center’s horses fell down a ravine and had to be airlifted to a veterinarian. Goodwin led that rescue, which inspired him to lend a hand in creating the annual open- air schooling for other first responders.

When the reporter attended the session a week ago, firefighters were being taught to read equine body language, how to safely approach them and guide them by the reins.

“Crews spent the day nudging horses down a winding trail through the San Joaquin Hills, " Licas writes, “brushing their coats and getting to know the animals ' mannerisms.”

Shea Center’s chief executive, Dana Butler - Moburg, the resulting program is unique in the United States and she would encourage other such facilities to incorporate something similar.

Jaqueline E. Johnson, doctor of veterinary medicine for Equine Veterinary Associates, assists with the training. She told Licas she’s seen real-life proof that the program works.

"[Equine rescues have ] gotten so much better, so much smoother because the firefighters are like, ‘Oh, I know how to be around horses, and have learned to have a relationship with veterinarians, '" Johnson said.

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