Wild Horse Island visitor injured
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BIG ARM – A young girl was injured on Sunday, Aug. 17 at Wild Horse Island State Park while hand feeding fruit to a wild horse.
FWP Investigator Brian Sommers said it appeared that one of the horses struck the girl in the back with a hoof, knocking her to the ground. She sustained a bruise to her back and abrasions on her face as a result of the incident.
She was walked to a dock where the Lake County Sheriff’s Department transported her by boat to Big Arm State Park, according to Lake County Sheriff’s Office Spokesperson Karen Sargeant. From there she was transported by ambulance to Providence St. Joseph Medical Center in Polson. She has since been released.
Sargeant said others should be careful when they visit the island.
“Even though they are horses, they are wild,” Sargeant said. “They should be treated as wildlife, not as domesticated livestock.”
Montana State Parks also reminds visitors that all of the animals on Wild Horse Island are wild and people should not approach them. Feeding animals is prohibited in the park. If the wild horses come near a visitor, they should wave their arms, yell at the horses and make every attempt to avoid the horses and any physical contact. Montana State Parks asks visitors to report anyone observed feeding the horses or other animals on the island as soon as possible to 1-800-TIP-MONT.
