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msar-riders - Re: [MSAR] Airscent horses?

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Subject: Mounted search and rescue

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  • From: Una Smith <una.smith@att.net>
  • To: Mounted search and rescue <msar-riders@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [MSAR] Airscent horses?
  • Date: Thu, 6 Jun 2013 14:26:38 -0600

Hi Ruthie,

Teaching a horse to follow scent not only can be done, it has been done.
One person who has done it is Terry Nowacki; for a few years he posted
a lot on MSAR-Riders so you can read all Terry's posts in our archive.
For links to the archive visit http://www.ibiblio.org/msar/msar-riders .
Note that the archive can be searched too!

Terry is not alone. I am seeing more and more maps and video clips of
horses using scent to find people. I have personally watched horses do
it. I train with an established SAR canine team, often being a search
subject for their dogs, so I know what I am seeing.

Finally, during a SAR training exercise I have personally experienced
my horse detecting search subjects who were hiding from us. I did not
see the subjects but I did radio in my location and that my horse was
alerting, snorting and jumping around, that there was a person very
near by. She wanted to plunge into a thicket. She loved the chase!
By radio I was told to disregard the alert and move on, and I did as
I was told but in hindsight that was wrong because it did not support
the highly desirable behavior my horse was giving me. I was so close
to the subjects that they could hear every word I said and they later
told me they were astounded how easily she found them out.

Una Smith
New Mexico




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