Novato Fire Crews Rescue Equestrians After Dog Spooks Horses

Novato Fire District officials rescued two equestrians Saturday morning after they were thrown from their horses in the Indian Tree Open Space Preserve.

A man in his 70s and woman in her 50s were riding horses on the Big Tree Hiking Trail, roughly one mile from Vineyard Road, when a dog spooked the horses around 10 a.m.  

“Both riders fell of the horses,” said Novato Fire District Battalion Chief Jeff Veliquette.

The female rider was stepped on and the man was knocked unconscious, according to Veliquette. 

There were several bystanders, including Novato Fire District board members Farhad Mansourian and Tomas Kaselionis, who were hiking and first encountered the rider-less horses before finding the injured riders and providing aid until paramedics arrived. Mansourian is also the general manager of SMART. 

Crews arrived on the scene at 10:13 a.m. and had to hike one mile on the trail to the patients. They had the patients hiked out of the trail at 11:02 a.m., Veliquette said. 

The man, who was wearing a helmet and suffered head and facial injuries, was transported to Marin General Hospital and the woman, who complained of abdominal and side pain, was taken to Kaiser in Terra Linda.

Veliquette said the riders keep their horses at the in Novato.