On July 19th, 2023, at 9:22 am, Gallatin County dispatch received a call for an injured horseback rider on a trail near the 320 Guest Ranch. The patient fell from their horse and sustained a head injury. Ranch staff members radioed for help and began to provide care to the patient.

Gallatin County Sheriff Search and Rescue volunteers from the Big Sky Section responded to the 320 Guest Ranch and deployed a hasty team up the trail. Ranch employees guided rescuers to the location of the patient. The rider was safely transported back to the trailhead with the use of a one-wheeled-litter and side by side. Ultimately the patient was transferred to a Big Sky Fire Department Ambulance and transported to Bozeman Health Big Sky Medical Center for further evaluation.

Sheriff Springer would like to commend the 320 Guest Ranch for being prepared with an emergency communication plan and for providing aid to the patient before help arrived.  Recreating in the backcountry can lead to several kinds of accidents, being prepared for what could happen helps both the responders and the patient.

Photo courtesy of Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office.