Many of us have seen the daring and exciting rescues of horses shown on television–such as rescuing a horse hanging from a bridge, or one trapped in a river. Then there's the famous scene of a horse being rescued by helicopter. However, many of these rescues cause further injury or death of the horse, according to Tomas Gimenez, Dr.Med.Vet, of the Animal and Veterinary Science Department at Clemson University. In his presentation "How to Effectively Perform Emergency Rescue of Equines," he stresses that rescuers should use the simplest, safest, and lowest-tech approach possible to prevent further injury to the horse.

He cited the increased population of horses in urban environments, the increase in the number of horse trailers, and the number of horses used for entertainment as the reasons for an increased occurrence of emergency situations.

Gimenez explained the basics of the Incident Command System (ICS), a method used by emergency response personnel to identify leadership and resources in emergency situations. Those involved in the ICS include law enforcement, fire fighters, paramedics, other emergency medical personnel, and the veterinarian–all of whom work as a team during an often-dangerous endeavor. "Attending veterinarians should be aware that they are on the scene as part of a team–first to assess and possibly stabilize the medical condition of the horse, and second to assist as a team member in the selection of the most appropriate rescue procedure," he said.

"A basic understanding of the Incident Command System, community disaster response guidelines, low-angle rappelling techniques, flood and swift water rescue techniques, and the use of rescue ropes, anchors, and accessories is essential to increase safety, risk assessment, and a successful rescue of large animals," he said