Horse euthanized after crash with motorcycle on Highway 118
A collision between a motorcycle and a horse on Highway 118 near Balcom Canyon Road Wednesday night left the motorcyclist injured and resulted in the horse's death.
The horse broke a leg in the accident and had to be euthanized, according to the California Highway Patrol.
Officer Ryan Ayers with the CHP's Moorpark office said a horse and its rider were walking facing traffic on the shoulder of the westbound 118 around 6:20 p.m. Passing cars spooked the horse, he said, causing it to buck off its rider.
The horse went into traffic lanes, where it was hit with a glancing blow by a passing Jeep. A motorcycle behind the Jeep then collided with the horse, Ayers said.
The accident, west of Moorpark city limits, blocked lanes in both directions for a little over an hour, according to CHP logs.
The motorcycle rider was transported to Los Robles Regional Medical Center with mild to moderate injuries, Ayers said.
The horse, however, suffered a “major break” in its leg, he said. County animal control officials sent a veterinarian to the scene to euthanize the horse.
“It’s unfortunate,” Ayers said.
The motorcyclist was wearing a helmet. Ayers said it was “amazing” the rider's injuries weren’t more significant given the nature of the crash.
Ayers said when driving rural roadways at night, motorists need to drive slowly enough to allow sufficient reaction time to recognize objects in the road and leave enough space between vehicles to allow time to stop before a collision. He also said drivers should adjust their speeds for darkness and not “outdrive their headlights.”
The horse was from a local ranch, Ayers said.
That section of the 118 is a highway, not a freeway, Ayers said, and there are no restrictions on walking, biking or riding a horse along the shoulder.
“Obviously, you have to be comfortable enough with your horse for it not to do what happened,” he said.
Betsy Connolly is an equine veterinarian who taught horse science at Pierce College in Woodland Hills for 15 years. She said horses typically have to be put down following a leg break because they balance 1,000 pounds or more on relatively small bones. They cannot stay off their feet or balance on three hooves for long enough periods to allow the bones to heal, she said.
Connolly said attempting to heal a broken leg is an “extraordinary endeavor” that can be extremely costly and risks other complications.
“It's both a compassionate thing not to put a horse through that and it's a practical thing not to put a horse through that,” she said.
Ayers said vehicle collisions with horses are rare but not unheard of. In 2021, a horse running loose on Highway 126 near Piru was struck and killed during a two-vehicle head-on traffic collision and left one driver with critical injuries.
Dawn Megli is an investigative and watchdog reporter for the Ventura County Star. Reach her at dawn.megli@vcstar.com or @ReporterDawn. This story was made possible by a grant from the Ventura County Community Foundation’s Fund to Support Local Journalism.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Crash on Highway 118 leaves motorcyclist hospitalized, horse dead
