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msar-riders - Re: [MSAR] Hypothermia and horse sense/scents

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  • From: "Jeff Ezell" <eztech@pdq.net>
  • To: "'Mounted search and rescue'" <msar-riders@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [MSAR] Hypothermia and horse sense/scents
  • Date: Tue, 21 Feb 2006 07:25:01 -0600

Also a perfect scenario for working a trailing K9 from horseback, especially
if subject had been farther off the trail and downwind.

Jeff

-----Original Message-----
From: msar-riders-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org
[mailto:msar-riders-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of Patty Montoya
Sent: Tuesday, February 21, 2006 1:00 AM
To: Mounted search and rescue
Subject: [MSAR] Hypothermia and horse sense/scents

A similar situation happened to our unit last year:
The forecast was for rain, so we went prepared for rain...however, it
snowed. The subject had traveled several miles up a heavily wooded,
difficult trail and the searchers on foot were having a difficult time. The

horses were also slipping and having a tough time in some sections, but they

were able to cover a large area quickly. Our instructions were to just go
up this difficult trail as quickly as we could. The subject had been out
overnight and was not dressed for cold weather.
As the team was passing some undergrowth the horses alerted that something
unusual was there. The riders investigated and found the subject huddled
under the brush. He was elderly and dressed for warm weather hiking with an

internal temperature of 74 degrees. Because of the poor weather conditions
and remote location, it took almost and hour to get someone to take him out.

(Fortunately, they were in radio contact and immediately radioed for help.
But a helicopter couldn't get in there and the shortest route was across a
river, which required bringing up a boat and team.) By the time a team came

in and took him out, the mounted riders were cold, not prepared for spending

the night, and it was too late to ride back down the trail they came in on.
They had to cross the river with the horses. All around it was a difficult
search and rescue. We now require all members to be prepared for ANY kind
of weather and we don't trust the weather forecast.
Sadly, the subject later succumbed to his injuries but his family was
somewhat relieved that he was found and had a fighting chance because the
alternative was that we might never have found him without the horses
because he was hidden so far under the heavy underbrush.
This was another example of how helpful the horses can be when our own
senses are not strong enough.

----- Original Message -----
From: "Sherry C. Hicks" <shicks@nwinc.net>
To: "'Mounted search and rescue'" <msar-riders@lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Monday, February 20, 2006 10:24 AM
Subject: Re: [MSAR] So you made a find. Now what?!


> It is not really a scenario, but a real rescue that Art Wolff told us
> about
> during our SAR TECH II class. I mentioned it because someone mentioned
> that
> they had taken all their overnight gear from their pack and I wondered how
> they would have dealt with this type situation.
>
> The rescuers hunkered down and made it through the night, but all were
> hypothermic then reinforcements arrived the next morning. The two main
> problems were their lack of preparedness and the fact that they were in an
> area of the national park where radios and cell phones don't work because
> the park does not allow towers.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: msar-riders-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org
> [mailto:msar-riders-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of Una Smith
> Sent: Sunday, February 19, 2006 7:14 PM
> To: Mounted search and rescue
> Subject: Re: [MSAR] So you made a find. Now what?!
>
> The scenario includes "severe hypothermia" and "got out", as in
> walked out...? The scenario's internal consistency is low. Lets
> wait for clarification.
>
> Una Smith
> New Mexico
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