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msar-riders - [MSAR] Re: Skills unique to MSAR

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Subject: Mounted search and rescue

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  • From: Una Smith <una@lanl.gov>
  • To: msar-riders@lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: [MSAR] Re: Skills unique to MSAR
  • Date: Tue Feb 11 10:45:59 2003

bonnie elster <elster530@yahoo.com> wrote:
>QUESTION:When dragging a litter & you start downhill, how do you
>slow the litter down so it doesn't begin responding to gravity &
>scare or injure your horse? As you can tell, I haven't pulled a
>litter, but I have wondered about it.

You need a second person on foot or on horse, trailing behind the
litter, controlling it with a rope. Or, if you are alone, you
will need to control the litter from uphill, possibly with a rope
system. (My kit includes a parchute cord that has seen many uses
in the past 15 years.) It helps if your horse can be controlled
by voice alone, like a plow horse or sled dog, so you can trust the
horse in front of the litter while you work behind it. If you
must do this with a person in the litter, please be sure to rig a
quick release knot on the litter and hold the free end, in case
you need to separate the horse from the litter in a new emergency.

It works the same when you're on skis. I once helped to "rescue"
someone with a "broken leg" on a wilderness training ski trip.
We made a litter out of his skis and poles, with duct tape, and
dragged him for several miles. It was very difficult, but worked.

To read up on this, look for books on mountain rescue, technical
rescue, rope techniques, and ski patrol.


Pet peeve: MSAR volunteers who *have* 24hr packs, yet choose to
leave them back in the vehicle.


>My horse tows logs, buckets, little red wagon w/children, etc.

Good start!

Una Smith
Santa Fe County Sheriff's Posse, New Mexico




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