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msar-riders - Re: [MSAR] MSAR horse - barefoot vs. being shod

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Subject: Mounted search and rescue

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  • From: "Jorene Downs" <Jorene@CEOates.com>
  • To: "'Mounted search and rescue'" <msar-riders@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [MSAR] MSAR horse - barefoot vs. being shod
  • Date: Sat, 21 Feb 2009 16:15:12 -0800

If this was a discussion on shod / unshod for trail riding I wouldn't bother
to comment since I agree that shod / unshod is very specific to each horse
and also to the anticipated terrain and environment. However, something I
haven't seen mentioned yet is the SAR incident itself, and the obvious
potential for the horse's feet to trample less obvious clues.

The flat unshod hoof is more likely to obscure something like a portion of a
person's shoe print than the more elevated shod hoof that would have a more
clearly defined shape, and better potential for not obscuring most of a
human shoe print.

This is a key reason why Mounted SAR riders are (or should be) trained to
keep their mount (shod or not) to the side of the trail / not where a
missing person is most likely to walk. A mounted tracker would also work
from the side, as would a tracker on foot. Even if the rider isn't trained
to track from the horse and only sees more obvious clues, someone with good
tracking skills could still come through later and find sign ... if it
hasn't been trampled.

Since commonly a horse will naturally keep more to the middle of a trail -
where commonly the human would also walk - rider skills to keep that horse
off to the side from the more obvious path for moving down the trail are
necessary. While this riding skill isn't always needed in generic trail
riding, it is in MSAR.

- - - - - -
Jorene Downs
SAR & CERT
Mounted SAR
www.ceoates.com/msar





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