What To Do In Remote Emergencies with Horses

the 10 essentials says Tucker. Whether youre going for 20 minutes or 15 days you shouldnt go out without them.
How riders carry these tools also affects their availability following an accident. For example most riders place their gear in saddle bags attached to their horse. If a rider falls off and their horse takes off those imperative items are of no use. For that reason carrying some of the essentials in a small bag such as a passport pouch which can be worn under clothing is a wise choice. The availability of those allimportant items carried on your person perhaps just a knife fire starter and emergency beacon or communications device discussed below could make a huge difference in a survival situation.
If an injured rider needs to be evacuated transportation options depend on the location of the incident and terrain. Typical options include a vehicle allterrain vehicle footcarried stretcher or helicopter. Regardless of whats needed a communications device will be required to call for help. If none of the group have a communications device or the technology fails then a rider or two must be dispatched to ride for help which could significantly delay medical attention for the injured rider
Sending an emergency message isnt instantaneous either. It can take 30 minutes or more. Emergency devices all require a clear view of the sky trees coulees and tight valleys are limiting and connection to satellites. The time it takes to actually send an emergency message can be affected by the terrain and the status and availability of the satellite network.
Riders may choose to carry a cell phone instead of or as well as another device but text and cell phone service can be spotty. Plus 911 coverage isnt always available so phone numbers for relevant emergency services are needed. However Apples iPhone 14 released in September 2022 offers emergency SOS services via satellite.
The injured people could be spread over a distance depending on how the incident happened says Tucker. If the horses were scared by a bear or something similar they could skedaddle in different directions and you could have injured people all over the deck. So get the people that are injured and mobile all gathered together. Then you dont have to move people who are severely injured and you can still care for them all.
Gathering everyone together also means that first aid food clothing and other essential items can
be shared along with a fire or shelter. It allows uninjured riders to work together to provide first aid plus rescuers only have to come to one location.
its getting dark and the rescue cant be completed until theres full daylight then emergency services may send out people often search and rescue volunteers to stay with the injured party overnight.
If the injury occurs on a long weekend or during busy holidays emergency medical services may not be available immediately. During a July 1 emergency evacuation that I was involved in our group was advised that every available helicopter was in the air conducting emergency evacuations. So be prepared to wait.
You never know when youre going to be stuck out in the bush says Tucker. Thats when basic survival skills knowing how to build an emergency shelter and fire plus the 10 essentials really come into their own.
After an emergency beacon is activated the signal is picked up by a satellite which sends it to an emergency response coordination centre. The centre reads the beacon location coordinates and for a Canadian location forwards the emergency request to the RCMP. The RCMP then send out emergency medical services to the location. Depending on the location and expected terrain the RCMP may choose to send a helicopter andor initiate search and rescue services. If the incident occurs in a national park the park is involved too.