Mounted search and rescue

[Una Smith <una@lanl.gov>]

Ian Vowles <Ian@modric.net> wrote:
>Thanks Una - next time hopefully there will be time to ride and visit !

ESCAPE needs to be longer, perhaps with breakout training for each
specialty running 1-2 days before or after the main conference.
At ESCAPE '03 the dog and horse classroom sessions were scheduled
at the same time, so it wasn't possible to attend both.  If you go
to ESCAPE and spend all your time there with the horses out in the
field (as a few participants did), you might as well have gone on
a camping trip, not to a conference.


>As regards the classroom MSAR - a lot would depend on what you were
>requested to provide by the organizers - to my way of thinking there is
>much confusion about what MSAR is and can and cannot do !

There sure is, and that is the problem I was asked to address.  I
don't know what happened to the class title and abstract I gave,
but there were none so no one knew what to expect.  Planning for
ESCAPE '04 is starting *now*, so details should be much improved.

Anyway, Ian, do you have any thoughts re aspects I left out, or 
did not cover in nearly enough detail, or that you disagree with?


>I would like to see a class in the future that maybe spans a
>whole 3-4 hours.  There are a myriad of things which MSAR riders
>deal with similar but not the same as Ground Teams. 

So would I.  In fact, the number #1 feedback I have received is
that the class was too short.  But for a 4-hour class, I would
need to organize far more material, especially visuals.  Please
share your photos!  For those like me without a digital camera, 
look into Kodak's professional-grade Photo CD or consumer-grade
Picture CD.  Both involve you sending in film, and getting back
a CD.  Picture CD is more than adequate for web pages and talks,
and if you send print film you get a set of prints too;  if you
send slide film, you get the developed slides mounted as usual.


>I learned several important things not least of which is I now
>keep my helmet handy in case the authorities ever require it !!

Yes, when not on my head, my helmet lives in my trailer.  Riding
in woods in a storm, the helmet protects my head from falling
branches.  At Ponil Camp (ESCAPE horse base), I saw my first
real twister up close;  it was small but very powerful and well
defined.  Had we been in its path, even on foot, I would have
wanted a helmet on my head.

I am very glad I bought a trailer with a step-in tack room;  it
has significantly improved my response time.  Another person in
my unit has a slightly wider trailer with a step-in.  He keeps
hay bales in his truck's cargo bed, and sleeps in the step-in.  
I keep hay in the step-in, wrapped loosely in a tarp to keep it
free of dust.


>A mission is not the place for training either a person or a horse ! And
>frankly if I cannot do it in training I would NEVER try it on a mission.

I think that's wise. 


>Hope we see you again soon - anyone is always welcome up here in the
>"cooler air" come train or visit with us.

Likewise.  Visiting provides outstanding opportunities for cross-
fertilization.


>www.mountedrescue.com

Ian's website is worth looking at, everyone.  Up now are a series
of photos of an awesome communciations and logistics trailer.

        Una Smith
        Santa Fe County Sheriff's Posse
        New Mexico