Mounted search and rescue

[Una Smith <una@lanl.gov>]

Our arena obstacle course this spring had the following items,
and associated riding goals:

Logs perpendicular to a straight line of travel, spaced about
4 feet apart.  Step over each without changing gait or speed.

A platform consisting of a plywood sheet nailed to a frame of
4x4s.  Step on and off without changing gait or speed.

Logs perpendicular to a sharply curved line of travel.  Step
over each without changing gait or speed.

Shiny new galvanized steel trashcan with traffic cone on top,
a small red flag standing in the cone.  Pick up the flag, cone,
and lid;  put them all back.

Coatstand with yellow slicker hanging off it.  Pick up the
slicker, drape it around the horse, put it on, take it off,
hang it up again.

Square of 4x4s, 8 feet on a side.  Step in, turn all the way
around (360degrees), and step out.

Three drum barrels painted red and black, with cones and flags
on top.  Weave through the barrels.

Walk-through "L", 4 feet wide, made of 8in diameter logs.
Back through the L.

Two more coatstands, and a log on the ground, the log with a
rope attached and the rope hooked on one coatstand.  Unhook
the rope, drag the log from one coatstand to the other, and
hook the rope there.

Small jump, a log about 10 inches high.  Step or jump over it.

Blue tarp spread on the ground and held down with tent stakes.
Cross it.

Initially, we walked through the course.  Later, we rode the
cooler horses through at a trot or canter.  The most difficult
obstacle was the blue tarp.  Most horses at least hesitated 
to step on it.  To get some across, we had them follow others.
For some horses, it helped for the rider to get off and lead
the horse across.  Others made progress when the rider got off
and worked the horse on a small circle near the tarp, and
allowed the horse to stop work only when closest to the tarp.

Most horses were not concerned by the slicker, but several did
not like the coatrack.  Some did not like the shiny trashcan.
Calm persistence was effective here, as for most elements of
the course.

Most horses were not concerned by the "L", but few of them were
able to back around its corner.  An effective strategy here is
to walk in forward a few steps, then back out;  walk in a few
steps more, then back out;  et cetera until the horse can walk
forward all the way through the L and then back through it.

One big issue many of our horses have is insufficient social
skills.  They aren't used to being with unfamiliar horses in
any circumstance.  To teach them that other horses are not an
automatic threat, we trailer them together, judiciously turn
them out together in an arena, and ride them in very close
quarters (even touching).  For this, books on training polo
ponies offer a lot of useful advice.  I should add that I do
not tolerate any anti-social horse behavior in my vicinity.
If my mare so much as makes a nasty face at another horse, I
will correct her.  This is true even if she was provoked to
do it;  I expect exceptionally good manners, and I find that
most horses are willing to oblige me.  (A horse that is not
willing to be polite under all circumstances probably is not
a good choice for SAR.)

See http://www.ibiblio.org/msar/units/santafe/skills.pdf for
some other ideas.

        Una Smith
        Santa Fe County Sheriff's Posse, in New Mexico