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Monday, September 1, 2014

be careful

A casual ride this weekend turned into a drama (spoiler: me and Major are fine). Be prepared. Know your horse and friends. Do the right thing. 

Major and I were just coming back from a nice quick ride with E and Tux. We stepped off the upper trail for some other riders to pass and heard a call. It sounded like a goose or loon, a yelling sound. Till it said "help me!" 

A tiny spot moved it's arm down by the lake. I worried someone maybe was mired there in the mud, so Major and I charged down to the shore. I got off about 50 feet from a fallen woman, and dragged Major behind me over to her. She was lucid, and said her horse had run off after she fell. 

She didn't want to move. I didn't want her to! I called the local park service dispatch, which can be faster than 911 as they might know your location. They didn't. (Know where you are, can you tell them GPS coordinates?) I had to explain multiple times how to find us. This is in rural area along a lakeshore, about a mile from the last parking lot. I knew it might be awhile. Meanwhile I'd handed my horse off to someone, and then we waited. (Will your horse stand nicely with a stranger, with strange horses?)

After emergency was called I talked with her, got her name, husband's name and phone number. I called her husband without much info, and waited. Others were standing about, but can't be much help. I sent Major home with E and Tux. Hoping he would pony (Will your horse pony home? It sounds like Major did ok, but not great.)

We waited and I just talked with her, and tried to shade her from the sun. The lake bed is rock hard and dry, but at least she hasn't fallen on rocks. About an hour after my first call the first park ranger and lifeguards arrived. They couldn't do too much until full EMS arrived, so we all waited. The fallen rider was scared, she could feel her feet but moving anything was super painful. We all just kept talking, hoping help would arrive soon. 

Not too much later, EMS arrived. They had to hike or precariously 4 wheel drive in. They put the fallen rider on a backboard, and put her in the shade of the truck. And we waited more. She didn't want me to leave, so I just stayed and held her hand. 

Meanwhile I called my SO, had him meet E at the ranch to deal with Major, put him away, etc. E could do it too, but it's always easier with help. 

EMS was trying to decide on helicopter or boat to move the rider, too bumpy and treacherous to take her out in the back of a 4x4. The rider was worried about the helicopter flight cost (anyone in California: get CalStar insurance. $45 a year for life flight, a great deal) and it turned out the boat was faster. They put her on the boat about two hours after the first call, to an awaiting ambulance. 


Then I got a ride out with the EMS captain. And my SO picked me up near the gate to the park. The EMS folks also said they'd drive me back to the ranch, which is nice. 


I did go back and check on Major. He seemed a bit confused, we hadn't really finished our ride! Another time, today was a day to help someone else. 

P.S. I did hear from the rider! She is severely bruised and hurting, but nothing broken. She is super grateful, but I think and hope that all of us would do the right thing if presented with the circumstances. It could be any of us: a wrong step, some naughty horse behavior, or just a bad day. Be careful out there.


16 comments:

  1. Very scary. Major was a rock star though! Glad you were able to help, and that the rider was ok. Seconding Calstar!

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  2. Whoa - nightmare scenario. Wasn't she lucky a good samaritan and her excellent horse were riding by?! Glad to hear all was well.

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  3. What a scary experience! I'm glad you and Major are okay and that the rider wasn't seriously injured.

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  4. Great example of why Road ID is such a great investment.

    Good job taking care of a fellow human.

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    1. Yes, I love my road ID! But I will say: the rider wanted me to call her husband first, and I understand that desire. But always first after assessing the situation call emergency first (if the situation requires it.)

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  5. Oh my goodness. what a terrifying situations for everyone. So glad you happened upon her and that she will be ok. Things can happen very quickly and go badly very quickly. I assume they found her horse?

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    1. They did find her horse, she was close to her stable (a few miles through forest) and he went running home. He was having a naughty day.

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  6. Wow, scary, so glad she is okay and you came along to do all the right stuff! Great points on having an all around reliable horse. I was reminded on a more minor scale today too, thinking I was going for a simple little poky trail ride and ended up needing the vet wrap I happened to have in my truck that I thought wise to throw in the borrowed saddle bag..then was so glad I had good hiking shoes, and water!

    YES, CA ppl GET CALSTAR!!

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    1. So glad you were prepared too! I always have vet wrap, but had recently cleaned out my saddle bags. I'll be putting back in the emergency blanket (can use for blanket, or pillow, or shade) and probably a thin rope to use as lead/tying rope.

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  7. Worst nightmare. Right there. So fortunate that you were in an area so frequented by other people that could be there to help with Major and get him home and potentially relay emergency information to others further down the trail if necessary!! Part of why I've pursued so much first responder training is because I'm scared of something like that happening! Yipes.

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    1. Yes, I was grateful for the first aid and CPR training, remembering the protocol, directing others what to do, etc. You never know when you need it, when a lovely Sunday turns into a scary few hours.

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  8. Hi, Everyone, It's your fallen rider here. I wanted to share with you my Facebook post on what happened that fateful Sunday when this amazing woman gave me comfort during a very extreme time of duress. You are wonderful and I will never ever forget your kindness.

    -----

    As a habitual late bloomer, I learned to ride horses at age 40 keeping in mind the only rule of riding: There are two kinds of riders; those who have fallen and those who have yet to fall.

    For the past six years, every single time I get on a horse, I visualize what I needed to do to dismount a moving horse. Kick free of the stirrups so you won't be dragged, look for a soft place to land, commit and roll.

    Yesterday three hours into my Sunday Morning Rides, it happened. After three hours on the trail and at a quite remote part of the lake, Sky spooked while in a canter. I tried to get control of his head, but he bore down and started bucking and crow-hopping. As we galloped full force away from the hard, dry lake bed and up into the rocky hills, I realized I had to bail.

    As he bucked me, I kicked my left foot free, looked at that hard ground, hoped I would cleanly clear my right foot from the stirrup as I kicked off. I did it just as I had been imagining for the past six years. But I landed hard on my lower back and tail bone, and after waiting to get my wind back from the impact, I tried to get up only to fall again from the piercing pain in my lower back and the numbness in my left leg.

    Luckily, I always carry my phone on my body (exactly for cases like this in case the horse decides to bail - yes, he bailed). Phone - dead. I lay there in 90 degree heat wondering if I should remain in the open where people might see me from either the lake or the trails, or if I should pull myself to shade and shelter before I got weak.

    I lay there for 30 minutes until I heard voices, riders passing by up on the ridge! I shouted "Help! Help! Help!" but they kept riding on. So I shouted "Help ME! Help ME! Help ME!"

    That's when they stopped to look, they had thought my earlier cries were geese honking. I waved my helmet and one saw me. She rode the mile down to me and from there, she sheltered me with her body and her friends came down. They called 911 and park services.

    Because we were so remote, it took first responders over 45 minutes to arrive - on foot carrying equipment. Once I was triaged, they strapped me to a C-Spine board and a neck brace. We were so far, they couldn't figure how to get me out - it was either through helicopter or boat.

    After another 45 minutes of calling for med-evac, one of the crews of first responders, Lake Lifeguard, ran back to the lifeguard station and ordered a boat. Lugged on to the boat, and a very choppy 30-minute boat ride, we reached Staging 1.

    They put me into an ambulance, took me to the hospital, and after another 3 hours did X-rays, confirmed nothing was broken, gave me painkillers and discharged me to rest at home.

    I'm pretty beat up - but I can't help feeling anything less than elation! Thanks to the unrelenting persistence of Christel Flink, I had my helmet on, thanks to the location when the horse spooked I crashed in a visible clearing, thanks to my constant visualization over the past few years I landed as well as I could ever have hoped to land, and most importantly, there was a guardian angel watching over me. The woman I hailed is an endurance rider and trained as a first responder.

    The South Placer Fire Department, Lake Folsom Lifeguard, and other first responders were kind, cheerful, and kept me talking about Jack and Tessa to keep me engaged and lucid.

    All I can tell you here is to have a plan and have hope.

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    1. I'm so glad you're OK Cameron. When you're recovered, we can hopefully go for a ride! A nice quiet one...

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  9. Cameron so glad you are OK ! My two friends and I were out there on Sunday and we passed you asked if a Helicopter was on the way... so scary for all us riders to only hope you were going to be ok.! WE did pass the riders with the extra horse being ponied off the group as we headed out.. and they were heading back to parking lot.. All were doing fine. Again, Glad you were OK !

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  10. Cameron, you don't know me, but I said a lot of prayers for you. I was out there Sunday too. Felt so bad not knowing how you were. Thank you for publishing.

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  11. So glad everything worked well Cameron. This always takes me back to when I was a kid and a horse I was riding (bareback) was spooked by something. I landed in a big puddle of mud. Mud was in my hair and various other crevices I won't mention. The worse part was blisters on my hiney from riding bareback. Keep well kiddo!

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