Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

msar-riders - Re: [MSAR] Airscent training

msar-riders@lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: Mounted search and rescue

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: "irvin lichtenstein" <ilichten1@verizon.net>
  • To: "'Mounted search and rescue'" <msar-riders@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [MSAR] Airscent training
  • Date: Thu, 27 Jun 2013 14:50:52 -0400

Your horse normally air scents as part of its, "who is trying to eat me,"
survival mode.
As a SAR person using a horse in the discriminating air scent mode you have
to learn to read the horse.
Horses are much more subtle than dogs functioning in predator mode.
Whatever you do at the end of a good trail ride is what your horse wants.
Your horse can read you better than you can read it. The horse knows if you
are frustrated or tense. The only dog reaction I have seen similar to a
horse's over a no find is that of a blood hound that loses the track.
You are trying to enhance a natural behavior and learn how to communicate
with your horse. Both sides of the conversation may need translators at
first but common understanding will come.
Irv Lichtenstein
-----Original Message-----
From: msar-riders-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org
[mailto:msar-riders-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of Una Smith
Sent: Thursday, June 27, 2013 12:21 PM
To: msar-riders@lists.ibiblio.org
Subject: [MSAR] Airscent training

Off list, I have had a question about how to learn airscent training.

My best answer is to connect with any SAR canine teams in your area, and
start training with them. To start, leave the horse at home and be a search
subject for the dogs. I guarantee you will learn a lot.

One thing I have learned from the dog teams is to attend carefully to each
animal's individual preference in reward. Some dogs have a very high prey
drive; they love toys. Some are people oriented really enjoy petting and
praise and play with the training search subject or their handler. Some are
motivated most by food treats or by being given a rest. Terry Nowaki has
said horses are best motivated by being given food or a rest, eg the rider
dismounting, but I don't find this to be true in all cases. Some horses
really enjoy the hunt.

If you train with a horse and a search subject who has food treats, be sure
your subject is someone who will not permit pushy behavior by the horse.

Una Smith
New Mexico
_______________________________________________
MSAR-Riders mailing list
MSAR-Riders@lists.ibiblio.org
http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/msar-riders





Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page