Most of the firefighters had never touched a horse, let alone put a halter on one.

"I rode a merry-go-round once," one firefighter quipped when asked of his prior equestrian experience.

"I’m Shane from Crystal Lake, and I’m actually afraid of horses," another announced.

They were among the more than 70 firefighters from six area fire departments who gathered last Monday (Nov. 20) at Roundtuit Ranch on Fletcher Road, near Enfield, Conn., and enthusiastically endured the chilly night to learn how to save horses from perishing in barn fires