We discuss these situations in order to learn. The lesson to learn here is - How much easier would it have been for this victim if he had carried a basic kit to make fire and even something to fabricate a shelter?

A well thought out, Altoids-sized tin, equipped for fire making and carried in a shirt pocket, would have been an enormous benefit. Add to that the basics for some sort of shelter, which need not be very bulky, and this guy would not have been a headline.

Also, equip yourself for short trips as well as long trips. Both can easily devolve into survival episodes.

Personally, I would leave the horse at home. Big animals just add complexity. But that is just me