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  • From: Karen Nesbitt <spanishequines@yahoo.com>
  • To: MSAR <msar-riders@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [MSAR] K-9 muzzles, balance and the ride.
  • Date: Sun, 25 Mar 2007 10:55:24 -0700 (PDT)

In response to:
Message: 3
Date: Sun, 25 Mar 2007 03:38:50 -0700
From: "John Neff" <neffj@msn.com>
Subject: Re: [MSAR] K-9 Evac on horseback
To: "Mounted search and rescue" <msar-riders@lists.ibiblio.org>
Message-ID: <BAY108-DAV14344864BE4809B42B9B8EA4680@phx.gbl>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

There are bags made for sled dogs that would make transporting an
injured SAR dog which has not been trained much less stressful and safer. 
one source is www.nordkyn.com .  These can be made with tie down
attachments so the bag (dog) will not slip off the backboard/saddle/pack. 
Training a pack horse to carry a dog who is immobilized  is a matter of
moments, especially if they are used to dogs.  Its just another load. 
Muzzling the injured dog would possibly be a good idea.  Emergency
muzzles can be made from most anything.
Faye
NE WA MSAR
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Granted a muzzle can be made of many things, but if you have a dog that it takes more than three men and a boy to wrestle to get the muzzle on, you have a situation.  My personal therapy dog ( a blue heeler) had only one fault and that was having to be muzzled to clip toenails...When you are talking pet rescues, you have an array of dogs out there that may have never seen a horse as in cases like Hurricane Katrina etc where livestock and dogs included become scattered in a wide area.
 
As for training horse to accept dogs, many horses are dog intolerant especially mares.   Certain breeds of dogs are not suitable for working with horses either.  My best mare hates dogs and wil try to kill them. She was attacked by a dog and learned early on not to trust them....
 
Some horses may tolerate a cat sleeping on their back, while others will also freak at the very smell of it.  All horses do not have cow sense either.  So working cattle may not be there thing and no amount of training wil make it happen unless you happened to be a brutal forcing trainer.   Likewise  every dog is different and as is every horse. 
 
When you put a fifty lb (dog or peice of equipment)  or what ever weight on one side of your horse, you have better be prepared for the IMBALANCE.  A younbg colts majpor resistance to any riding is always his disagreement or agreement of his comfort and balance.
 
We have trained horses in the past with the use of sand bags to get them used to weight befor a rider....you can use a pair of jeans with the legs sewn and put a varied or equal amount of sand in the legs to hang on the saddle.  IF you have riders with a bum leg, it gets the horse used to compensating to the rider as in the case of therapy horses.  May trainers will also use what is called a dumb jockey for training as well as the use of bitting harnesses.
 
Too often a bad trainer will abuse his priveledges with the horse and that can easily be done by using equipment that the trainer has no clue on how to use.  When you train for balance, it is a good idea to train your horse to be supple.  There are many ground exersizes that you can teach your horse to become supple and simply longing a horse in both directions is not enough.  If you have ever ridden a one sided horse you can appreaciate the ride of a horse in good balance and one that is fully supple and can break at the neck and poll along with having a supple spine.  Too many trainers neglect these important areas of the trainign process and end up with horses that work in fear becasue of their pain.  Think of WHY your mare or horse might be cranky and you can learn a mirrade of things about yourself and your own animal.  It helps if you are also a rider that is supple.  But a lot of us old farts are not and we worsen with age or injury. 
 
I have seen many trainers tie their horses head to its tail and put them in a stall or round pen thinking this will train suppleness in to them.  Suppleness is not trained.  It is an element of your horse that makes him FIT.  These methods of trying to achieve suppleness can truly work against you in making matters worse or you animal learning to work out of fear.  Suppleness is achieved by proper exersize. but not FORCED exersize and much is give and take.  It is like when you do toe touches...you cannot always touch your toes the first part of the week in doing them, but as your body yeilds you can reach your toes as you gain the agility to move.  Consider yoru horse teh same.  He needs todo it in a give and take to release his stiffness to bend.
 
Fat horses are not as supple as fit lean horses either. Their agility is compromised by cresty necks or excessive weight on fine legs etc etc etc.  Heavy hands and forcefull riding compromises the art of working together as one.  In the perfect ride, the horse and rider are both maximum in supple, but in the real world of MSAR. things are always out of balance in a lot of aspects of the ride.  Dressage is a fine art.  Riding with an injury or injured third party be it dog, cow human or whatever can be PURE HELL especially for the injured. And I would go so far to say that if you have never suffered a great injur, you have no concept of someone else's pain.
 
Karen Nesbitt
VMSAR - Iroquois County
Illinois
 
 
 


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  • [MSAR] K-9 muzzles, balance and the ride., Karen Nesbitt, 03/25/2007

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