Mounted search and rescue

[amy rucker <mountedposse911@yahoo.com>]

Thanks for your advice Una, It is very much appreicated, And I will share it with my team.  In past we have referred to our "group" as a "TEAM" and when going to incident command we refer to we have "X amount of "units, consisting of 2 riders, etc"  It depends on who is in charge and how they are working their command station.  But you are right, sometimes it may get confusing for someone who is not familar with horses in SAR.  I am not sure if you were referring to myself or Deb regarding the foot team.  I coordinate a horseback SAR team, and a seperate Government funded Foot team as well.  I have been involved in foot SAR for the past 8-9 years, and Started my own mounted team in Mar of 2002 after using my horse with several searches of my foot team.  So, it is still new as well.  Am trying to help Deb get things going with her team since it is so fresh in my mind what I have done this past year. Hope it is to help her.. We should all help each other,,,,  That is they way I have learned Everything I know, from other people,,, it is the best!!   That is one reason I like this forum so much. 

As far as getting someone that is injured out of the field....  It depends on their condition, We have had first aid training, and assess the patient as to wether or not they can be transported or not, this also involves a decision from incident command, if reachable, due to our protocol.  Of course is someone was too seriously injured,  first aid would be administered, (we have several RN's and EMT s on my mounted team) And a call would be made to IC for transport out.  If someone is not too seriously injured and can be transported, we have trained several ways to do this.  Litter by horseback is an option, and we've had training, but Its difficult.  Also, we have trained how to carry out on our mount with us.  Every instance is different.  In most we can get to the person, sometimes get Medical supplies or Aid into them where a 4-wheeler cant get to...  There are many advantages of Horses In SAR.    Take a look at our website,, its  www.mountedposse.20megsfree.com

The clip titled "Why Search on Horseback" is a good one to read.   Its still under construction, but you get the general idea.  It also has a picture page, and one is of a mock where we carried out a little girl by mount.. She was minorly injured, but suffered from hypothermia.  The quicker the rescue the better.  We passed it with flying colors!!   MOUNTED SAR IS THE GREATEST!!    

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Today's Topics:

1. Re: New to SAR (Una Smith)
2. Action Pictures (Mike Dillard)

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Message: 1
Date: Tue, 21 Jan 2003 10:22:47 -0700
From: Una Smith
To: msar-riders@lists.ibiblio.org
Subject: [MSAR] Re: New to SAR

Deb, Amy, et al.

There are many new mounted SAR units in the US, and old units
are always recruiting new members, so I think it benefits us
all to share information as freely as possible. There is a
lot of truth in the saying that a great way to learn a thing
is to teach it to others. So I offer a lot of advice, not as
a know-it-all, but as a dedicated learner.

For example, why do I say "unit" where others here say "team"?
In general SAR context, a team is a group of people who search
together. I call a horse and rider a pair. A mounted team is
usually 2 or 3 riders and at least one horse per rider; a dog
team is often a dog and its handler but in wilderness areas I
think for safety the team should consist of dog, handler, and
a second person. Your unit or group may be small enough that
you field only one team. So when you arrive at base camp and
they ask your leader what resources you have, she should say
something like "X teams of Y riders". Think about how to give
tactful direction to incident command, so that they will learn
to use you effectively. Many people working incident command
have little knowledge of horses, and this is ESPECIALLY true if
you are a new MSAR unit in a state where such are rare. One
other factor; as a new and unproven unit, you should expect
that your team(s) will be told to search in areas where no one
expects to find the subject. The only thing worse than no find
is a find by a team that is incompetent and consequently harms
the subject or destroys a crime scene. Being sent to unlikely
areas to search is discouraging but necessary, so try to see
it as part of your training, and make the most of it. You may
still find the subject, so always do the job expected of you.

Deb, as someone with groundpounder SAR experience, you know a
lot about searching. Could you tell us how being on horseback
changes things for you? For example, are you able to extract
the subject, or would you need to call in a groundpounder team
with medical skills, supplies, and possibly a litter or other
technical gear?

Una Smith

Los Alamos National Laboratory, MS K-710, Los Alamos, NM 87545

--__--__--

Message: 2
Date: Tue, 21 Jan 2003 13:46:38 -0600
From: "Mike Dillard"
To:
Subject: [MSAR] Action Pictures

If anyone has pictures of Mounted Rescue In Action, I would like to use
them for a presentation, (with your permission, of coarse.) Just e-mail
to: dillardm@mustang.k12.ok.us

Thank you for your contribution,
Capt. Mike Dillard
CAP OK-113 MSAR


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