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msar-riders - [MSAR] Train SAR first, or evaluate riding first?

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Subject: Mounted search and rescue

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  • From: Una Smith <una@lanl.gov>
  • To: Mounted search and rescue <msar-riders@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [MSAR] Train SAR first, or evaluate riding first?
  • Date: Mon, 7 Jun 2004 20:34:45 -0600

Barbara Sly wrote:
>3) How many other mounted teams do all the training first as opposed to
>rider/horse evaluation first...could we take a survey?

We don't fail anyone on horsemanship, but on the other hand we
do assess them and if they don't pass muster they do not get
called out for SAR missions and other tasks on horseback. We
do have formal written horse and rider standards (not suitable
for a national standard :-) and we do explicitly test to those
standards.

We do not currently require our members to obtain basic SAR
training and/or certification but if it my decision we would
so require; I think this is a more important requirement for
a SAR volunteer. A trained SAR volunteer on the ground is of
greater value to us than an otherwise expert horse and rider
pair who are ignorant of basic SAR skills.

Safety comes first. Unfortunately, because we do not put an
emphasis on training for SAR, many of our current members are
not mission ready for transient reasons: horse pregnant, too
young/old, injured, too hot, too poorly trained, or the rider
is not up to riding the horse for any number of reasons. My
own excuse at this time is that my baby is only 10 weeks old
(and doing fine!), but at least I do have the SAR training to
continue to be of value to my unit in various ways apart from
searching in the field. I am not up for a spur-of-the-moment
SAR mission, but I have managed a 6.5 hour planned ride (12
hours away from the baby).

Anyway, in short: I vote for train SAR first, evaluate riding
later. (But allow riding on SAR missions only after passing
a riding evaluation.)

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




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