A 13-year-old Arabian fell more than 200 feet into a canyon and is feared dead after he was spooked by a rattlesnake on Sunday (July 9), reports the online edition of the Auburn Journal, a newspaper based in Auburn, Calif.


According to the Journal, Nicole Wiere and Shawn Bowling were out riding “Rebel,” the Arabian, and a mule, respectively, on the Western States Trail and encountered the rattlesnake 1 1/2 miles from the Deadwood Cemetery. “Bowling reportedly saw the rattler on the trail and tried to avoid it,” described the article. “But the snake didn’t leave the trail, instead it continued toward the mule. The mule then became disturbed and turned, bumping into Wiere’s horse.”
 
Rebel lost his footing and “went down the cliff a few hundred feet,” said the article. Wiere managed to remove herself from the horse before he fell further into the American River Canyon. Read more about the incident and the recovery effort here.


Rebel and Wiere were training for the 52nd Tevis Cup, which will be held on Aug. 5

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