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msar-riders - Re: [MSAR] New Mexico MSAR loss of a horse

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  • From: Una Smith <una.smith@att.net>
  • To: Mounted search and rescue <msar-riders@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [MSAR] New Mexico MSAR loss of a horse
  • Date: Wed, 9 Aug 2006 15:13:42 -0400

Una Smith wrote:
>A New Mexico SAR mission 6 weeks ago ended in a tragic accident
>for one MSAR pair: the rider injured and the horse dead.
> http://www.ibiblio.org/msar/dox/Adams2006.pdf

Contributing factors to this accident:

1. Rider and horse not a well-established pair.

The rider, an older man, is uniformly regarded by his
experienced MSAR teammates as an accomplished rider. The horse,
Huey, was a mature, experienced working ranch horse. The rider
had acquired the horse a few months earlier. They had not yet
established deep mutual trust and understanding. Although the
rider's wife says both horses panicked when they encountered the
backpackers, what Carolyn said to me the day after the event was
different. Carolyn said both horses were deeply startled by the
backpackers, and Huey became increasingly frightened but did not
panic until the moment when he decided to turn around. Both
riders tried to calm their horses. Carolyn's mare (Airy, short
for Airhead) was frightened more by Huey's fear than by the
backpackers. Airy knows backpackers and Carolyn told her
"you're okay" (a cue Carolyn and I both use to tell our horses
that the excitement around them does not involve them) so Airy
began to relax. She stood still throughout.

Airy is becoming an exemplary MSAR horse. I have ridden perhaps
15 SAR missions with Carolyn and Airy, plus spent many other
days riding with them. Airy is a leopard Appaloosa Arab cross,
beautiful and extremely reactive. Carolyn and I made a great
MSAR field team in part because my elderly polo mare Whitney has
as much "go" as Airy yet is rock steady and always has a
profound calming influence on Airy. Now Airy is learning to be
rock steady for others. On this occasion, she faced a severe
test of her nerve and probably saved her own life and Carolyn's
too.


2. Rider and horse not experienced re trails traversing steep
slopes.

Although both rider and horse were experienced in many other
riding activities, neither was experienced in mountain riding.
The trail was very narrow. The horse tried to turn around by
turning into the canyon wall. To clear the wall the horse was
forced to rear high and step back. According to Carolyn, he
stepped back onto the soft outer shoulder of the trail, and it
collapsed beneath him. At that moment his rider bailed out.
The horse proceeded to summersault down the canyon wall.

Turning into a canyon wall in this way is a common trail riding
error. It may feel safer, but it is far more dangerous because
it puts the full weight of the horse on the often precarious
outer shoulder of the trail.


3. Horse not experienced nor trained (despooked) re common
wilderness trail spooks such as backpackers.

The backpackers were resting on a ledge above the trail,
screened by some vegetation. When they saw the horses startle,
they did what many people instinctively do: they kept quiet and
held still. Even when both riders called to them to say hello.

The backpackers later told some of the SAR responders on scene
that they were waiting for the horses to smell them and realize
they were people. The horses probably could smell them, but the
horses also saw forms and behaviors that were not normal for
people. At least, not normal in Huey's world view. The
backpackers are not at fault: this is normal human behavior,
and something for which MSAR horses should be trained, if they
will be deployed where backpackers are likely to occur.

Una Smith
New Mexico




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