Mounted search and rescue

["wwfarm" <wwfarm@wiktel.com>]

 Last week Suzanne posted some good advantages for MSAR.

Here are two more.

#1  Search horses can cross many water obstacles .
Example -This past spring I was on amber alert search, mud,

snow, slush and water. YUK!
My horse easily either waded or half swam through streams

and ditches swollen with icy water  with out jeopardizing our search

 pattern. Even the ATVs had to go around many the water obstacles,

 slowing  the search while possible leaving some areas un searched.

The ground pounders were even more  limited to what areas
they could or were willing to search because of the conditions.

 

#2 Horses do not leave behind human sign. (This one was

touched on by some one else but it is important enough to talked

about again.)

The horse would be ideal for a hasty team search because they

 can enter a search area and not leave any human foot prints

that could possibly cause confusion for the search at a later time.

 Being a member of a Sheriffs Hasty team I can tell you this is a very

 important one. I have this one listed on my web site. Many times areas need

 to be researched. A horses tracks are easily distinguished from human and

 they do not cover or destroy as much as ATVs.

 

TER

Marshall County MN Sheriff Posse

 

Original Message below.

So true!  This is the common non-horseman perception we seem always to be
facing.  And I very much like your suggested alternative list. I'm going to
save it and see how I can incorporate it as suggested language in the
"definition of MSAR" section of the standards. (I also plan to draft a
preface for the committee to review that will list and credit as many of
the sources of information and language as we can identify.)

>In lieu of the above, I suggest:
>Advantages
>- Travel at least twice as fast as groundpounders.
>- Travel at least twice as long as groundpounders.
>- Travel far more easily than groundpounders off trails,
>in mud, in snow, in rough terrain, and in thick brush.
>- Travel many places where vehicles cannot go, some places
>where groundpounders cannot safely go.
>- On horseback a searcher's point of view (POV) is about 3
>feet/1 meter higher than on foot; may be more likely to
>find clues not on trail and/or at a distance.
>- Riders can devote more attention to mission assignment;
>horses watch their own footing.
>- Backcountry riders more likely to have personal experience
>of specific wilderness areas rarely visited by other means.
>- Horses hear, see, and detect scents better than humans do.
>- Horses have excellent night vision, comparable to dogs.
>- Horses carry far more weight than groundpounders: rescue
>gear, repeater radio, power supply, extra water, exhausted
>dog or groundpounder, subject.
>- Powerful, high clearance, often 4WD vehicles.
>- Haul-in services: extra water, food for base camp operations.
>- Trailer should have many gallons of potable water to spare.
>- Trailer may have toilet.
>Limitations
>- Enormous disparity between unskilled and skilled horsemen
>and horses; difficult for non-horsemen to evaluate skills.
>- On horseback a searcher may be more likely than on foot to
>miss small or subtle clues.
>- Horses don't know not to step on footprints or other clues.
>- Horses have limited ability to climb.
>Additions or changes, anyone?

Horses don't snorkle very well either ;-)

Suzanne Anderson