On Saturday, August 1, a call came in from the Tevis Cup: a rider had been separated from her horse, and the horse was now somewhere deep in the Granite Chief Wilderness at 7,200 feet — no road, no trail, no way in on foot or by vehicle.

The Butte County Sheriff’s Office helicopter launched with North Valley Animal Disaster Group technical animal rescue members Susan Marshall and Norm Rosene aboard, and flew to those coordinates. Overhead, we confirmed it: the horse was there, and still standing.

From there it became a coordinated operation. A member of the Nevada County Humane Emergency Animal Rescue Team coordinated the landing zone, and a plan came together with the UC Davis Equine Medical Strike Team  — fly the team in, sedate the horse, rig a large animal lift, and short-haul him out.

Participating from UC Davis: Drs. Lais Costa (lead), Mathilde Fournier, Caitlyn Higginbotham; Technicians Grace Marcus, Morgan Woolley, Jaclyn Crevier, Raffi Miranda; Radio Communications - Matt Baur

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