Mounted search and rescue

[Slybarbara@aol.com]

Jorene, my unit, Northwest Horseback SAR, in King Co. WA does not get a lot of call outs because many missions are in terrain judged impassible for horses, or the mission is to pack out an injured hiker a short distance from a trail head (most of our members are an hour or more away).  Generally, mountain rescue, ground pounders and 4x4 units get the call and can respond more quickly. 

Our unit has been working toward establishing credibility and value by responding to almost weekly evidence searches for remains of Green River murder victims.  Last month, when a local fire on the edge of town threatened homes, our unit assisted the 4x4 unit in providing traffic control and vehicles to stand by for possible evacuations.   

We all have big trucks, and many members are getting ham licenses.  This means that in areas where lack of repeaters and mountain terrain result in marginal or nonexistent radio communication, we can help the 4x4 unit establish radio relays.  Of course, we'd prefer to be helping in mounted mode, but if the deputies think horses can't be used, any involvement is better than none.  

Keeping our members active, involved and broadening their skills is an important part of our unit's growth.  Members who refuse to respond to a mission without a horse have so few opportunities to participate, outside of training, that they lose interest and drop out.  Those who have responded to no-horse callouts can be counted on to be ready when the call comes for horse teams to respond.  

In my experience, it is in the best interest of the mounted unit to encourage members to respond even when the horse must be left at home.   

Barbara Sly
Northwest Horseback Search and Rescue
King Co. WA