Mounted search and rescue

[Una Smith <una@lanl.gov>]

For SAR, I just wear tall leather work boots, the type 
favored by construction workers, year round.  I have worn
the same pair for...17 years?  They are insulated but
being leather they are also comfortable in summer.  When
I remember to treat them once or twice a year, they are
reasonably waterproof.  Good tread, excellent traction,
low heel.

If getting your foot caught in a stirrup is a concern, I
recommend either a saddle with safety stirrup bars (the
kind that let the stirrup leathers slide off the saddle)
or else tapaderos (toe covers) on the stirrups themselves.
Safety stirrup bars may not be a good idea, if you ride
in steep terrain.  You can order tapaderos by mail from
many hunting and horse packing suppliers.

One problem I find with many walking boots including some
marketed for riders is that the soles can become strangely
slippery in cold weather.  I once owned a pair of hikers
that were downright dangerous in damp weather below 40 F!
The culprit was a *particular* formulation of Vibram (tm)
sole.

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