Lexington, KY (July 24, 2023) - The Kentucky Horse Council’s three-day Large Animal Emergency Rescue (LAER) training is slated to return to the Kentucky Horse Park on Sept. 15-17, 2023.

LAER is taught by Justin and Tori McLeod of 4Hooves Large Animal Services, LLC, a North Carolina-based company that specialized in large animal technical rescue emergency response and training for emergency responders and veterinary professionals. The course is geared specifically toward veterinarians, emergency responders and animal control officers, but horse owners and industry professionals will also find the course beneficial in learning how to care for and extract equines in potentially hazardous situations while remaining safe.

The course will cover topics like animal behavior; handling and restraint; containment; motor vehicle accidents and overturned trailers; entrapments; unstable ground incidents (mud, ditch, ice, etc.); water rescues; and natural disaster preparation and response. Specialized instruction will be given to participants based on their background and auditors are welcome.

“After taking the Kentucky Horse Council’s Large Animal Emergency Rescue class, we learned what type of equipment we needed to be able to respond to an emergency involving a large animal, and how to use it,” says Kenny Pratt, chief of the Marshall County Rescue Squad. “After I took the class, I applied for – and received -- grants to help us purchase the necessary equipment.”

Soon after the equipment arrived, the rescue squad had the opportunity to use it, assisting with animals that had been involved in the devastating tornadoes that swept through Western Kentucky. Pratt and his team responded to horses that were down and entangled in barbed wire. “Because of the training we received, we were able to go up to the horses, calm them and protect their faces the way we had been taught. We then used our new equipment to secure the horse’s safety. We would not have been able to work as well or efficiently had we not taken the KHC class. I highly recommend this training to any emergency service or rescue squad -- when you least expect it is when you’re going to have to figure out how to get a horse or a cow out of a tricky situation.”

“The Large Animal Emergency Rescue training has proven to be a great learning experience for all attendees, but specifically for veterinarians, who learn how to work alongside both first responders and volunteers. All participants receive in-depth, technical training on how to safely handle emergency situations in which they may be asked to work together,” says Dr. Rocky Mason, owner of Lexington Equine Medical Group and head of the Kentucky Horse Council Health and Welfare committee. “This training also focuses on situational awareness and preparedness, both of which are necessary for a favorable outcome for the animal involved while keeping everyone safe.”

Continuing education credits for veterinarians are available through the American Association of Veterinary State Boards. Sponsorship opportunities are available here. For more information, click here or contact the Kentucky Horse Council at 859-367-0509 or info@kentuckyhorse.org

To learn more about 4Hooves Large Animal Services at 4hoovessmart.com.