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  • From: "philip easley" <easleyranch@foothill.net>
  • To: "Mounted search and rescue" <msar-riders@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [MSAR] Rough riding in snow
  • Date: Thu, 8 May 2003 18:15:21 -0700

I am a little slow on checking my e-mail this month.  I also have been fairly quiet on with this group.  Something I also do during the Winter months is to use full rimmed shoes.  They are angled on the inside so the snow does not pack in the bottom of the foot as badly and can clean out so the snow does not build up as much as with the regular plain web shoes.  In the deep packed snow (10 to 30 feet), try to remember what is on the ground under you.  If there is a fence or stream, you could have a hollow spot there and your horse can break through and wind up stuck in a deep hole.  We spent an hour one April day in 1991 on Grouse Ridge pulling a Search Horse out of a hole when the Sheriff's Posse Member did not listen to me about where to ride. 
Philip Easley...................................
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Tuesday, April 15, 2003 9:57 PM
Subject: Re: [MSAR] Rough riding in snow

I have been following the e-mails from this newsgroup for some time but have never responded to one, so here goes! 
 
Una Smith had queried (on April 3, 2003) about riding in the snow and I found that I just had to respond... albeit a little after the eight ball.
 
Horses instinctively already know how to travel in the snow.  The basic rule of thumb for a rider is to not interfere with the horses' head and maintain a center of balance while staying totally relaxed.  As soon as the rider tenses, the horse may tense and possibly slip, if the horse is on ice.  I find riding with a loose rein allows the horse to use his head and neck to the best possible potential.
 
Our team rides in snow up above the horses' bellies with no problem.  The harder or crustier snow poses more problems than soft, powdery snow because it is harder for the horse to break a trail.  We tend to change lead horses a lot in harder conditions so each horse may have a break.  Ice is the most difficult for a horse to navigate but barium on the bottoms of the shoes helps with the traction.  If you can keep your horse barefoot, that is always the best bet. 
 
The only training you would have to give a horse is to introduce him/her to snow.  It doesn't matter whether the snow is a couple of inches deep or 4 feet deep; the horse will respond basically the same.  Spend some time just pleasure riding in it... make it fun for both horse and rider and remember to stay calm and relaxed at all times.
 
In early spring or late fall, when the foals on the ranch see their first snowfall, they tend to romp and play in it.
 
I usually ride an ex-racehorse who had never seen mountain trails previous to my owning him.  He periodically forgets he has 4 legs and being a flat-tracker, he doesn't jump yet, but he always makes it through whatever terrain I ask of him.  It is true that a horse will naturally squat on their rump when navigating steep hills... even ex-racehorses.  I started mine off with small hills and gradually increased the length and grade until I was safely able to work him in the mountains.
 
I hope this has answered your questions Una.
 
Good luck and happy trails
Susan
BC MSAR

A good 6 inches of snow fell here yesterday, which reminds me to
ask you all about training horses and riders to travel in snow.
My own experience riding in snow is limited (although I do ride
all winter, regardless of condition, unlike most people I know).

We can expect to be called out to search in snow up to 12 inches.
In fact, we have been called out in this situation once already
this year, but by the time we got on site the snow had melted to
just a few inches. Up to that depth, horses should travel a lot
faster than people on foot and probably faster than people on
snowshoes. But what is the maximum depth of snow that an MSAR
team can reasonably hope to deal with effectively? How much does
this depend on the condition of the snow? For instance, powder
is the rule in New Mexico, but in the northeast US the rule is a
hard crust of ice.

What particular training issues does snow present for you? Some
members of my unit say certain of their (ranch-bred) horses are
safe to ride down steep slopes in snow. If the horse starts to
slide, it calmly spraddles and squats on its rump until the slide
ends. My mare probably has no clue how to travel in deep snow,
and I doubt she is alone. So we should do some training to teach
our horses about snow, and to learn for ourselves what to expect
from our horses.

Oh, by the way, it is common for us to ride where there are no
roads or trails, perhaps even no animal paths. So being able to
see the trail under the snow is a non-issue for us.

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

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