Mounted search and rescue

[Una Smith <una.smith@att.net>]

Northern New Mexico has had a lot of major wildfires in the past,
including the Cerro Grande fire in 2000, during which several hundred
horses were evacuated from the community stables (spared) where my
horse now resides.  Wildfires are a concern here *every year*, and
now we are seeing a massive die-off of trees due to sustained drought
and bark beetle outbreaks, so the fuel level is extremely high.  We
really do need to have an up to date plan.  But a plan is needed not
only for wildfires, but also for general emergency preparedness.

What we're trying to do now is prepare individual horse owners to 
get their horses out in good time, ie during the warning stage, rather
than have no plan and hence do nothing effective until the extreme
danger stage.  Many of these horse owners, often city slickers and
first time horse owners, do not own trailers themselves and some have
no idea how or even if their horses will go in a trailer.  Of course,
this is the worst kind of situation for emergency evacuation folks
to deal with, so the more training we can do now with both horse and
owner, the better off everyone will be.   So we expect to be doing 
lots of basic training.

Now is the time of year to make plans and do preparedness training!

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