Well-known Santa Ynez Valley farmer Larry Saarloos, who planted his first vineyard near Los Olivos in 1999, was severely injured last Tuesday after falling from a horse on Hollister Ranch.
“It was an unfortunate accident,” said his son Keith Saarloos. “True to form, my dad was out there to help a friend. He’d been moving cattle for the past two days at one of the most beautiful places on earth.”
After being airlifted to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital, Saarloos, who is 65 years old, was flown to UCLA Medical Center, where he later underwent surgery to repair two broken vertebrae in his neck. He is now conscious, alert, and recovering, though remains in pain and has no movement yet below the waist.