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Subject: Mounted search and rescue

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Chronological Thread  
  • From: "Jorene Downs" <Jorene@CEOates.com>
  • To: "MSAR-L" <msar-riders@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [MSAR] Fw: MSAR Riders
  • Date: Wed, 19 Jul 2006 15:30:06 -0700

Relayed for Chris Pennington, who is having access problems:

----- Original Message -----
A green rider on a green horse is a recipe for disaster in any situation,

Interesting discussion! Of course the problem with above statement is two-fold: 1. there are NO absolutes in life and 2. Definitions of green will vary quite a bit.

Example- my daughter trained her mare - daughter was 14, mare was 3 when ground work started. A trainer we knew said "Oh green on green- bad news!" Well, since my daughter has been riding since she could sit a horse was she really green? And the mare has the best temperament of any horse I know and was a breeze to train. Was she "born broke" or was she really "green"? That mare is now a great SAR mount and as trustworthy as the day is long. Well actually, she pretty much has been a great SAR mount since the first time I took her out when she was 4 1/2!

Example- What if you get a new member who has not ridden in quite awhile but "used to" ride extensively. They get a horse that is well-trained but never used for SAR work and has some 'idiosyncrasies' that the rider may not know about yet. Are they green on green? Have had a few of these over the years and I would answer YES, would you?

The only way to really identify those teams ready for real missions is to do LOTS of trainings and training rides. Everyone in the group can then identify the strengths and areas that need support for each partnership. In my opinion this is necessary whether green or not! You need to know your teammates so that when you are in rough territory or unexpected situations you have a good idea how they will react and vice versa. No mount is perfect, no rider is perfect. We need to work with the imperfections so that as a team we are solid and strong.

We ride in a group a lot. Just trail riding. Our horses get used to each other and we get used to the other partnerships that we may work with on a mission. Green riders get a chance to be mentored by experienced riders, green horses get a chance to be calmly introduced to situations with calm experienced horses, and best of all the entire MSAR team gets a whole encyclopedia of knowledge about the others they may end up on a mission with. Invaluable experience!!

Red ribbons- best advice I ever got from an oldtimer- Dogs BITE, Horses KICK. End of story. You just can't ever depend on this not happening so it's best to always be aware that it MIGHT. (might not too but better to be ready) Be aware, *ride* *defensively*. Know what is going on around you. Keep in mind that something you are not aware of may set off an animal and cause 'abnormal' behavior. It is our responsibility to continually be aware of everything that may impact us as a team- including the signals that our steeds are sending to us. I have been kicked (when mounted, in the leg!) by a horse that "never kicks". The owner didn't pay attention to the horse's signals saying "I'm not comfortable and I"m going to react" in a new and very chaotic situation. My horses are very used to dogs but when out riding if one challenges us and my horse wants to spin to face it I rely on their instincts and we do exactly that. Maybe the dog smelled different, maybe a different quality in the bark?? I don't know but I assume my horses do and I don't punish them for using their resources to keep us safe.

Ok, back to fire watch! <G> Thanks for an interesting topic to give my mind a break!
Chris Pennington





  • [MSAR] Fw: MSAR Riders, Jorene Downs, 07/19/2006

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