Rider flown to hospital following accident, horse found safe days later
Published at | Updated at
HAILEY — Blaine County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a backcountry rescue of a 71-year-old woman and her horse this week. While the horse spent several days on its own, it was located and brought back to safety with no apparent injuries, according to a news release from the office.
The incident originally happened on Monday, June 8. Deputies responded around noon to the woman who, while riding with a friend near Camp Creek in Croy Creek Canyon, was thrown from her horse and sustained serious injuries that required an air ambulance, the release states.
During the incident her spooked horse named Auggie ran off. Two deputies on ATVs searched the area but could not locate Auggie. On Tuesday, June 9, the Blaine County Sheriff’s Office drone team continued to search the area with no success, according to the release.
On Wednesday, June 10, the sheriff’s office reached out to one of their volunteer search and rescue members to assist in the search for Auggie. Using his privately owned helicopter, Blaine County Search and Rescue member Charlie Conner, Lt. Fabrizio Lizano and Melody Anderson flew around the area for one hour before locating Auggie three miles west of the original site, the release states.
The helicopter was able to land close by, and due to the remote location and “treacherous, rocky, overgrown landscape,” Lizano and Anderson had to walk Auggie multiple miles to the road, the release states. While they walked, the helicopter came back to check on their progress in finding a path around several cliffs. Eventually they made it to the road where it could be safely transported to Anderson’s property to await reunion with the owner.
Auggie had no apparent injuries, according to the release.
The Blaine County Sheriff’s Office extended a special thanks to Anderson and Conner for their service in locating Auggie.