Mounted search and rescue

["Ron & Tracy Helget" <helget@wamego.net>]

I, too, have seen small people (5'2") mount large horses (16+ hands). My 
daughter is one of them. She is 20, 5/2", and owns a growing 16.3 hand 
Percheron. She gets her foot in the stirrup unassisted and mounts very 
gracefully. Of course, she has youth on her side. Our trainer is also about 
the same size and mounts very gracefully, unassisted.

Personally, I believe horses and riders should be trained for mounts and 
dismounts on either side. Just in trail riding, I have been in situations 
that required a mount or dismount from the off side. Mine are very graceful, 
but I can do it.


Tracy
Kansas
---------- Original Message ----------------------------------
From: Una Smith <una.smith@att.net>
Reply-To: Mounted search and rescue <msar-riders@lists.ibiblio.org>
Date:  Thu, 20 Jan 2005 21:00:00 -0700

>Paul has a point!
>
>If injury, pain, or fatigue are problems in the field on a
>mission, the team should already have returned to camp.  But
>stuff happens, so there may be times when someone needs help
>for one of these reasons.  But none of these reasons will be
>present during a basic qualifying exam, will they?
>
>For safety, it is important that the horse will accept its
>rider dismounting on either side.  I am not convinced that it
>is a safety issue to be able to mount on both sides from the
>ground using only the usual tack in its usual configuration.
>For sure it is an imposition on your teammates to need one of
>them to hoist you into the saddle every time you mount.  Yet
>such people do try out for MSAR teams, so it may help to have
>a rule about demonstrating the ability to mount "unassisted".
>
>I have seen tiny vaulters mount enormous horses with no help
>from others or any special equipment, so being a small adult
>with an average "large" horse is no excuse.  You can get on,
>but it may require some coaching from a vaulter and work in a
>gym.
>
>Years ago I worked for 3 months at a field station where our
>only option for baths was to jump in a lake, off a huge log
>at the surface.  The long-term residents in some mysterious
>fashion were able to vault from the water back onto the log.
>I, on the other hand, could only squirm and drag myself up
>onto the log, getting dirtier in the process than I had been
>before.  A month later, I too could vault back onto the log,
>although I cannot say exactly how I did it.
>
>       Una SMith
>_______________________________________________
>MSAR-Riders mailing list
>MSAR-Riders@lists.ibiblio.org
>http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/msar-riders
>