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Ravine Rescue of The Shea Center Horse, Choco

On July 5th, 2021, Dr. Jacqueline Johnson (EVA Partner) and Dr. Danielle Keating (EVA Emergency Veterinarian) were at Sycamore Trails Stables to ride their own horses when they received word of a horse who had spooked and gotten loose on a nearby trail. The horse had fallen on its back and had become dangerously wedged between the hillside and concrete slabs down in a ravine.

While neither veterinarian was on call at the time, the EVA Doctors immediately responded to the emergency situation. Working quickly, they assessed Choco, anesthetized the distressed horse with a general anesthetic, and begin to develop a plan with the Orange County Fire Department Heavy Rescue Team to free him from the ravine. Drs. Johnson and Keating closely monitored the horse while the fire crews removed debris and secured the horse in a harness to be air-lifted out of the ravine by the skilled helicopter crew.

Once out of the ravine, the EVA veterinarians thoroughly assessed Choco for injuries and monitored his recovery process from anesthesia. After Drs. Johnson and Keating recovered the horse from anesthesia, they were able to lead him to a trailer where he was transported to be further assessed at San Luis Rey Equine Hospital.

Miraculously, Choco sustained only minor superficial injuries and was released from the hospital back to his home at The Shea Center – a therapeutic riding center in San Juan Capistrano. Thanks to the skilled and coordinated efforts between Dr. Johnson, Dr. Keating, the Orange County Fire Department, and the San Luis Rey Equine Hospital, Choco is expected to make a full recovery and will resume his job as a therapeutic riding horse.