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Subject: Mounted search and rescue

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  • From: heather_jones@att.net
  • To: MSAR-riders@lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: [MSAR] Creating a new Unit
  • Date: Thu Dec 5 12:30:00 2002

Una,
Thanks so much for establishing this list. I stumbled across MSAR a couple of
weeks ago, and the information thus far has been great.

Everyone, I'm looking for some insight and input. I live in the foothills
near
Denver. Until recently, I had been a member of a group calling themselves a
MSAR unit. It became very clear that the majority of them were just people
who
wanted to call themselves "cowboys", and have a riding/drinking club with tax
benefits. Several of us, including the captain, have separated from the unit,
in favor of creating a small, elite, and dedicated mounted search and rescue
team. We've decided to take this winter to brainstorm, and we'll be having
our
first meeting this weekend.

We are leaning towards a mounted "tracking" unit, rather than a full search
and
rescue. Our reasoning behind this is that while an ambulatory patient can be
taken out on horseback, body extrication, or non-ambulatory rescue is not
always feasible with these animals. By and large, if we're to be called out
on
a search, we will be partnering with several elite teams who specialize in
extrications. Of course, we would have the training to stabilize a live
patient, and radio out our location. However, we would like to maximize our
strengths, and focus our training on a specialty. Few groups focus on the
tracking aspect, and if we had a hasty team which was geared specifically
towards tracking, and had the ability and training to be out for a couple of
days on end, I feel this could be a very useful niche. As I said, we are
brainstorming, and these are just ideas.

What are your thoughts on this? Do you have any recommendations related to
starting a new unit? Things you would have done differently if you could have
created your own? Challenges that you face within your own units?

I've noticed a few of you are with local sheriff's dept search and rescue
teams, and I should say that here we have the Jefferson County Mounted
Patrol,
but these people are volunteer police officers, and are essentially crowd
control, and PR. They are not trained as back country horsemen, nor do they
have any specific search training.

I welcome any and all feedback, either through the list or directly to my
email.

Thanks!
Heather




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