As the firefighters worked Friday afternoon to contain the spreading Norte fire as it damaged homes and prompted widespread evacuation orders near San Juan Capistrano, volunteers were on standby to evacuate the area’s horse population if needed.
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San Juan Capistrano is known for its equestrian community and is home to hundreds of the large animals. It has long had its LART, or Large Animal Response Team, in place to respond in case of evacuations in the city.
“Around that area, there are around 600 to 700 horses,” said Bill Klovstad, who helps lead the Orange County Animal Rescue Team (OCART), a newer county group also dedicated to carting large animals to safety during emergencies. He added that there are several equestrian centers along the 5 Freeway in that stretch of town. “And there’s an excess of about 1,500 horses in the San Juan region.”
While San Juan Capistrano is a hub of equestrian life, there are several communities in Orange County that are home to horse populations.
OCART is a volunteer-based program now operating under the County of Orange. The OC Board of Supervisors late last year formally approved and backed the program with $75,000 in seed money from Supervisor Don Wagner’s Third District discretionary funds covering costs related to insurance, training supplies, a rescue trailer and volunteer equipment such as safety vests, water buckets and flashlights. El Rodeo Rescue in Brea is overseeing the countywide program and the funding.
When the winds started to kick up Thursday, Klovstad said the team put out the call for volunteers who could help if fire broke out and horses needed evacuation somewhere in the county. About 180 of 250 OCART volunteers — “a combination between horse trailers, personnel and volunteers that help at shelter sites” — were “ready to go,” he said, if activation orders were sent out from OC Animal Control and OCART leadership.
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“That means they should know that their fuel tanks are filled up, they have all their equipment ready to go, and they’re just in standby. They’re waiting for the next messaging,” Klovstad said.
“Most owners of horses or the handlers of the horses are going to lead them out to a given pickup point, and we’re gonna retrieve them there,” Klovstad said of the rescue plans in place.
The OC Fair & Event Center, which has an equestrian arena, serves as OCART’s designated shelter location and property owners around the county also volunteer space.
“Right now, I’ve established about 300 stalls available throughout different areas of Orange County,” Klovstad said of preparations that got underway at the Santa Ana Winds picked up. “We have the ability to get every horse, not only out of harm’s way, but to get them to a temporary shelter spot. We’re officially on standby mode.”
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