Even as a child on her family’s ranch, Cindy Honn knew horses would always be a part of her life.

“I’d come home from school, go catch them and just ride,” she says. Under her father’s guidance, she became a skilled rider and horse trainer, and soon found herself attending farrier school to learn how to shoe horses and care for their hooves. In 1975, when the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Department founded the first mounted Search and Rescue (SAR) team for El Dorado County, Honn was a natural choice. Honn is currently on the Board of Directors, and she often teaches others the navigational and tracking skills they need for search and rescue missions. In addition, she remains on call 24/7 – ready to ride out at a moment’s notice should an emergency arise.

When she isn’t taking care of her four horses or riding on calls, Honn attends meetings for the local branch of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, a community service organization. She also takes part in Pony Express reenactments each year as a way to bring U.S. history to life for area residents. Yet Honn’s most rewarding activity is the work she does for SAR, especially when it allows her to help lost persons return to their homes and families. “It really makes you feel like you’ve accomplished something,” she shares.

For more about Cindy Honn and other local happenings and information, be sure to pick up this month's copy of Style – El Dorado County Foothills edition. Click on the Get Your Copy link on this Web site for some of our newsstand locations; click on the Subscribe link on this Web site to become a regular subscriber, or to order a copy of this issue or one of our back issues, please email  [email protected], or call 916-988-9888.