If Cris Usher and some of the other responders had had large-animal rescue training a year earlier, a horse that was stuck might still be around.

"Last year, the Applegate Fire District had a situation where a horse was in a pond," said Usher, of Applegate Fire District 9, the Josephine County Sheriff's Posse and Josephine County Equestrian Coalition. She said no one knew what to do and techniques she learned Saturday would have come in handy. "The horse ... did not make it."

There's no system in place to prevent the scene from happening again.

"Right now we can't expect to call 9-1-1 and have people respond," to a large-animal emergency, she said.

Usher is among the participants in a two-day large animal rescue clinic held Saturday and today. Local organizers hope to put together a team of responders in Jackson and Josephine counties.

 

Firefighters from Ashland and Grants Pass as well as California fire districts are attending the clinic held at Eden Farm in Ashland, as are employees of Josephine County Animal Control and local horse owners. The clinic is sponsored by the Josephine County Equestrian Coalition.

 

John and Deb Fox, firefighter volunteers with the Felton, Calif., Fire Protection District, have developed a training curriculum and manual on large-animal rescue techniques.

John Fox said he looked nationwide for information on equipment firefighters needed to rescue large animals and found nothing, so 12 years ago he and his wife took the initiative. Whether animals are trapped in a trailer wreck, a ditch, the mud, a lake or river, a ravine, a collapsed barn or a show ring, the clinic teaches skills to assist in saving them.

From making a rescue strap and strapping it around a horse's girth to flipping over a 450-pound recumbent manikin, the Foxes demonstrated numerous techniques, often done with standard fire engine equipment such as hoses, utility ropes and pike poles.

A large part of the clinic involves education on anatomy and behavior of a horse, said Deb Fox.

"Firefighters have a tendency to rush in," she said. "That doesn't work with these guys."

The Foxes also taught tips on how to stay out of danger, such as how to organize the ropes so they don't become entangled around the rescuer's legs, which would pose a risk if the horse suddenly took off. They also suggest rescuers keep their mouths closed and teeth together to avoid biting off their tongue should the horse suddenly jerk.

Jannalee Smithey, president of the Equamore Foundation, a nonprofit rescue organization in Ashland, is among the clinic organizers.

"We are forming a committee for equine rescue solutions," she said. In addition to encouraging firefighter and law enforcement training, she hopes to create a list of citizens available to help because rescues can require a large team of people.

The techniques can apply to cows, llamas and pigs, too.

"It's almost always horses," said John Fox, adding that for many people a horse is more like a family member, and owners may put more effort into trying to save it.

For more information or to get involved in large animal rescue in Jackson and Josephine counties, call Jannalee Smithey, 535-6607.