Rebecca Husted

Dr. Rebecca Husted, PhD

Rebecca holds a BS in Biology from Wofford College, a PhD in Animal Physiology from Clemson University.

Her current scientific research interests include horse trailer wreck causality, improving fire prevention standards for animal facilities, animal behavioral and physiological responses to Technical Rescue procedures and equipment, and investigations into horse neglect and cruelty cases. Currently the Incident Safety, Public Information Officer and Support Fire Fighter for the City of Gray Volunteer Fire Department, GA – she served 28 years in the US Army Reserves with a 2006 combat tour in Kuwait and Iraq. She retired as J6 Communications staff lead for multi-agency coordination in military and disaster response exercises for 32 countries at US SOUTHERN COMMAND, Miami, FL in 2016.


She gives training in Technical Large Animal Emergency Rescue (TLAERTM ) techniques across the US and Internationally. She leads the USA in innovative ideas, methodologies, and understanding of complex human factors and animal behavior involved in these responses. She facilitates an online Facebook study group of 20k+ global members featuring 13 administrators to discuss and share techniques in applied large animal emergency rescue and disasters related to large animals. She serves as an advisor or mentor for numerous graduate and veterinary school students, serves on various committees (including Equine Welfare committee for PATH, International 2018-2022), teaches online courses in horse behavior/ welfare and barn fire response, teaches animal control and law enforcement about large animal cruelty investigations, and hosts TLAER working students at her farm in Georgia.


She was appointed Chair of the Technical Committee of the NFPA Code 150 – Fire and Life Safety in Animal Housing and contributes to NFPA committees and others defining technical competencies for large animal rescue around the world.  Her expertise lies in numerous technical procedures and techniques related to human responses to these situations. She has published numerous critiques, protocols and refereed journal articles on a variety of technical subjects in large animal disaster and emergency rescue, the first textbook on Technical Large Animal Emergency Rescue (Wiley-Blackwell – 2008), authored chapters in several veterinary textbooks related to TLAER, written chapters in equine behavior manuals, and spends enormous amounts of time educating people from all walks of life about better methods to assist animals from blogs to social media. She trains and trail rides her 6 horses with positive methods, and lives on 20 acres in Macon, GA with her animals and enchanting husband, Mark Husted.