A horse had to be airlifted to safety after becoming stranded in rugged wilderness during a gruelling 100-mile endurance race.
The animal was left alone at an altitude of around 7,200ft after its rider was bucked off during the Tevis Cup 100-mile endurance ride on Saturday (1 August).
The rider was quickly found uninjured – but the horse had disappeared into the unforgiving terrain.
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Ground crews spent more than two hours desperately trying to locate the animal, using a GPS beacon attached to its saddle to track its movements, as reported by Need To Know.
But with steep terrain making the area inaccessible by foot or vehicle – and temperatures continuing to rise – rescuers knew they were running out of time.
The Nevada County HEART animal rescue team eventually called in aviation support, with the Butte County Sheriff’s Office Helicopter Unit sent to the remote location.
A helicopter carrying technical animal rescue specialists flew to the GPS coordinates and finally spotted the stranded horse – which was thankfully still standing.
Rescuers then had to work out how to get the huge animal out of the wilderness.
A member of the HEART team helped coordinate a landing zone, allowing the helicopter crew to touch down and work alongside veterinary experts from the university, UC Davis.
The horse was assessed before being sedated and secured inside a large animal lift ready for its dramatic extraction.
The helicopter then performed a so-called short-haul rescue, carrying the horse beneath the aircraft to French Meadows Reservoir.
A receiving team from HEART and UC Davis was waiting on the ground, where the animal was gently lowered to safety.
And, in a final stroke of luck, the horse later loaded itself into a trailer for the journey home.
The dramatic rescue unfolded during the Tevis Cup, a notoriously gruelling 100-mile endurance ride through rugged terrain.
The Sheriff’s Office said the horse’s GPS unit was crucial in pinpointing its location after it became separated from its rider.
Rescuers had initially been searching on foot, but the landscape proved too difficult to reach.
With the horse’s last known hydration and the rising temperatures becoming increasingly concerning, the decision was made to bring in the helicopter.
The successful operation was the result of several agencies working together, including the Butte County Sheriff’s Office, North Valley Animal Disaster Group, UC Davis veterinary team and Nevada County HEART.
The Sheriff’s Office said its annual training with the rescue teams in preparation for incidents like this had paid off.
The horse’s ordeal ended with it safely back on solid ground – and seemingly ready to put its wild day behind it.
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