A horse lost its footing, slid off a trail and rolled into a creek at Montana de Oro State Park over the weekend leading to a unique rescue.
On Saturday morning, a group of riders on the Bloody Nose Trail were attempting to cross a small creek on horseback.
The last horse in the group lost its footing, sliding off the trail and rolling down a 10-15 foot embankment, according to CAL FIRE.
The rider was able to jump clear of the horse during the incident and was not injured.
After three hours, the horse’s owner was able to walk the horse up the embankment with the assistance of a passerby on a large draft horse but was concerned about a possible injury, CAL FIRE said.
At around 1:30 p.m., CAL FIRE was called to the scene where the horse was lying on the side of the trail. A large animal veterinarian was also called in to administer pain medication and sedation to the injured horse.
The stablemate horse, which is blind, was also brought in to help keep the injured horse calm. The blind horse was then able to lead the injured horse off the trail. Both animals were able to walk out safely.
No word on the current condition of the horse. The group on the trail was visiting from rural Los Angeles County.
CAL FIRE SLO also assisted in a rescue at Spooner’s Cove at Montana de Oro at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday.
