08/04/2026
Great job, Nevada County Sheriff's HEART on this successful aviation horse rescue off a mountainside during the TEVIS 100-mile endurance ride. This rescue was successful because of outstanding interagency cooperation between the Nevada County Sheriff's HEART, UC Davis Equine Medical Strike Team, North Valley Animal Disaster Group, Butte County Sheriff’s Office Aviation, and an exceptional pilot whose skill made this operation possible.
FULL STORY FROM HEART:
Here’s a brief breakdown of the incident that occurred at Tevis 2026:
During the TEVIS 100-mile endurance ride, a horse and rider became separated early in the race. Thankfully, the rider was located quickly and was uninjured. The horse, however, was nowhere to be found.
For more than two hours, HEART’s ground search teams worked tirelessly through steep, unforgiving terrain, tracking the horse’s GPS beacon. Despite the crews’ determination and grueling effort, the rugged landscape prevented them from locating the horse.
As temperatures continued to rise, time became a critical factor. We knew when the horse had last been able to hydrate and it was becoming increasingly important to get eyes on him.
The decision was made to request aviation support. Within an hour of the call, the Butte County Sheriff’s Office helicopter was overhead. From the air, the crew quickly located the horse, just 3 minutes by air, from our ICP. The good news was that he appeared to be alive and alert. The challenge was that he was trapped deep within an extremely dense stand of manzanita on a mountainside, making a ground extraction unrealistic.
After evaluating the terrain and elevation, the team developed a new plan.
The first helicopter insertion placed the UC Davis Equine Medical Strike Team with the horse. Their role was to assess his condition, administer fluids, provide sedation and prepare him for an aerial extraction.
Because of the elevation and aircraft performance considerations, a separate receiving location had to be established. The helicopter returned to transport the receiving team to that secondary site, where they stood ready.
Once the veterinary team had the horse safely secured in the aerial rescue harness, the pilot performed a flawless external-load flight, delivering the horse to the receiving team without incident.
The 43-second video is courtesy of one of the vets who leaned her phone up against a rock!
After the horse was safely delivered, the helicopter returned to extract the veterinary team, bringing every responder safely off the mountain.
The horse was up and alert within 15 minutes! He was then trailored to veterinarians that were standing by, waiting for him. No significant injuries, but dehydrated.
This rescue was successful because of outstanding interagency cooperation between the Sheriff’s H.E.A.R.T. Team, UC Davis Equine Medical Strike Team, North Valley Animal Disaster Group, Butte County Sheriff’s Office Aviation, and an exceptional pilot whose skill made this operation possible.
It’s important to remember that Large Animal Technical Rescue isn’t about dramatic moments. It’s about making good decisions under pressure, adapting to changing conditions, trusting your partners, and executing the fundamentals flawlessly.
This mission was a perfect example of all of the above. It couldn’t have been completed without all involved teams, doing their thing!
