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msar-riders - Re: [MSAR] New Member

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Subject: Mounted search and rescue

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Chronological Thread  
  • From: "D'Arcy Demianoff-Thompson" <cest.mon.virage@gmail.com>
  • To: "Mounted search and rescue" <msar-riders@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [MSAR] New Member
  • Date: Mon, 23 Jun 2008 15:15:29 -0700

Hi Una,
 
Thank you so much for your response.  Although I pretty much figured the board is automatic.  I wanted to give credit where credit was due that the board even exists to begin with. 
 


I live in Placerville, CA which is close to Auburn, CA - the Endurance Capital of the World, as it is affectionately known as.  Being that the 100 mile Tevis ride is held here annually with 150+ competitors coming from as far away as Dubai, Australia, and Japan.  It is the toughest endurance ride in the world.  A 100 mile ride will has a completion time of 24 hours.  Therefore, you can imagine the condition the horse and rider, if not best prepared, can and often does fall victim to on this ride.  And not necessarily because of ill preparation.  Even the most seasoned rider can fall victim to some difficulty or another out on the trail.  For example:  Tevis 2007 - one rider and horse went off the side of a 350 foot cliff about 1am.  Horse got out - rider couldn't due to broken bones and had to be airlifted to Roseville, CA 6 hours later.  Not long after just down from where the first rider went off another horse and rider went off.  Rider got out horse couldn't get out until day break when Rescue had to cut a new path to get the horse off the side of the mountain.  So, those are the types of Search and Rescue that we encounter with endurance riding. 
 
Other types are lost horse and rider issues.  No point of orientation and swipe riders have to come in and retrack to try and find where the horse and rider may have veered off the trail and find them.  and of course we have the typical horse down from tieing up and dehydration issues. 
 
Interest lies in being part of an MSAR Team.  Not only for my own benefit and knowledge but to contribute to the equine industry in a very positive manner.   No, I am not out to be a hero of any kind.  I know how important endurance riding is to our industry.  One of our most recent set backs with adding more rides is the fact there are not enough MSAR qualified team members that can work as Swipes Riders at endurance rides.  Many of our members across the country are up in their 70's and 80's.  And there are not many coming behind them to take their place.  I would like to learn as much as I can to help train others to fill vacancies in order to save what rides we have and quite possibly to increase those ride numbers.
 
D'Arcy



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