Large Animal Evac and
Technical Rescue Information Sheet
Extricating a Person From an
Incident Inside a Horse Trailer
Part Two
Please Note: This is a continuation from Part One in which the context of these exercises is described.
A backboard can be utilized to provide a barrier between the downed horse and the victim and rescuer as both of those persons will often be in compromised positions. The backboard won't provide complete protection, but when propped against the side of the trailer, it can reduce force of impact if the horse struggles.
If sufficient responders are on-scene, one team can reinforce the restraints on the horse and prepare it for repositioning to help facilitate patient care, or for removal altogether.
Another scenario involved a incident that did not have escape door access. In this scenario some protection was provided for the victim and the horse rigged to be removed out the rear trailer gate.
In the removal scenario it will be critical to get control of the horse's halter using a Rescue Clip before cutting the tied off lead with an extension shear. If sufficient personnel are available at the scene, laying out some ground pads to pull the horse onto would be preferred to dragging him directly onto hard ground.
Removing the Patient
The following video clip shows the patient care team working in an exercise where the victim had to be removed while the horse remained in the trailer as soon as the its legs were properly restrained. Basic EMS protocols were followed as closely as conditions permitted.
What responders should note, as evidenced in the video clip, is the amount of amplified noise that can fill the trailer when other members are talking outside the rear trailer gate. It reached a point that the patient care person inside the trailer could not communicate with other members of the patient care team outside the escape door who were involved with patient packaging and removal.
(As the video shows, we tend to joke with our victims during training but the crews are absolutely focused during actual incidents. You can also hear the horse extrication team discussing their tactics once the patient is out on the backboard.)
BE SURE TO PROVIDE SOME CONTROL OVER THE HORSE such as having a lead line or containment corral in place before freeing and/or extricating the horse.
Please remember that these are sample training scenarios. Teams should actually practice these techniques in various staged situations in order to better understand which approaches would likely be safest and most effective under various conditions.
The training information presented in these information sheets and guides is offered for illustrative and volunteer refresher purposes only. It is not a substitute for actual hands-on training.
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