Riding to the Rescue : County Firefighters Free Horse Trapped in Narrow Ravine

One shovel of dirt at a time, 27 county rescue workers and firefighters braved the threat of landslide to free a horse that fell 15 feet into a narrow crevasse in the hills near Crystal Cove State Park on Thursday.

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For two hours, rescuers carefully removed rock and earth to reach Bandit, a 3 1/2-year-old brown stallion. The horse suffered several deep cuts on his legs but otherwise appeared unhurt.

The accident occurred about 9 a.m. as Bandit’s rider, cowboy Mike Bais, was checking on some cattle for the Fred Hendeles Cattle Co., which leases the property from the Irvine Co. for grazing.

“We were riding the trail here and just slipped,” Bais said. Bandit’s hind legs slid off the trail, sending man and horse to the bottom of the gorge. Bais was not injured, but the fall left Bandit wedged tightly between sheer walls of rock and dirt.

The area, known as Muddy Canyon, near East Coast Highway and Sand Canyon Avenue, suffered massive erosion during last winter’s rainstorms.

“That draw that the horse fell into wasn’t there last year,” said Capt. Dan Young of the Orange County Fire Authority. “It was created by 30 inches of rainfall.”

Bais ran about half a mile to a construction site on East Coast Highway, where Irvine Water District employees called for help and returned with him to the horse.

Despite the danger of falling earth from the steep crevasse walls, Bais climbed back down to comfort Bandit, soon joined by a local veterinarian and an Irvine animal control officer.

“I just want to tell you that you are down there at your own risk,” firefighter Greg Higber told them. “Keep your movement to a minimum.”

But when rescuers began digging a short time later, loosening dirt and debris, the trio were forced to climb out. Bandit was sedated and given an intravenous line for fluids and nutrition.

The possibility that the side of the ravine would give way forced rescuers into a tedious cut-and-shore excavation like that used to extract victims in the Oklahoma City bombing, county fire officials said. Every few feet, workers installed sheets of plywood.

“We certainly want to save the horse, but at the same time, our priority had to be protecting the guys trying to get him out,” Young said. “It’s very treacherous in there. It’s not the kind of thing you rush into.”

Finally, rescue workers were able to back Bandit about 20 feet to the portion of the crevasse they had widened. With winds gusting, making helicopters unsteady, an airlift was ruled out. Instead, a canvas sheet was laid on the walls, a sling was attached to Bandit and a truck pulled the horse out on his side, laying him at the top of the ravine.

As a circle of firefighters egged him on, Bandit made two halting attempts to stand. With a final heave, he rolled to his feet as the firefighters cheered.

The horse was then walked into a trailer and taken home under a vet’s supervision.

“They just loaded him in, and he kind of rode off into the sunset,” Young said. “It’s completely amazing that he escaped with no broken bones after a fall like that.”

“Firemen like to think they’re pretty tough,” Young added. “But when that horse stood up, it really got to every one of them.”