Mounted search and rescue

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

Jeff
You asked - What is your horse's alert when they locate the source? Dog
handlers as you
> know train various alerts: either active like barks (whinny), scratch/dig
> (pawing), refind taking handler back to source (rider already there), or
> passive like sitting, a down at source, which would be quite noticeable
with
> a horse! ;o) But challenging for rider! ;o)

This is frequent asked question. The k9 people have to do the above because
many times their dogs work away from them. The only reason I turn my horses
loose
is for demonstration  reasons that proves to people that my horses are 100%
scent locating by them selves.   In normal training or on a real search I am
riding. This give me a real advantage to read my horses signals compared to
dogs.
I just sit back, relax and enjoy the show. You see I have"the best seat in
the house " to see, feel and hear my horses signals. This is natural
horsemanship in it
purest form.
Let me tell ya, when you are riding, if your horse is standing over the
missing subject rolling him over with his nose and you can not tell see it.
You don't have
to train for a better alert, YOU THAN NEED A BETTER SEARCHER!
For buried scent sources or tree top hidden sources it is usually a pawing ,
complete standstill or a very confused small circling.
Rewards come in about four equal parts which are better demonstrated and
shown at my clinics.

Good questions.

TER