Mounted search and rescue

[Lois Guyon <laguyon2@yahoo.com>]

Two members of the LaSalle County, IL Sheriff's
Mounted Search and Rescue Posse attended the Mounted
Search and Rescue Training at the Kentucky Horse Park
in Lexington, Kentucky, October 25-27th.  Six states
were represented as well as the U.S. Park Service and
the Kentucky Horse Park Mounted Police.  The school
was conducted by Mounted Police Training Systems, Inc.
of Boca Raton, FL.

The instruction was designed for both those who
brought horse and those who did not.  Due to the
distance and expense, we did not bring our horses.
Most who came a long distance did not bring their
mounts.  The training was for riders, not horses.
However, the simulated searches were done on
horseback. Some of us did ground searches and still
benefited. I was happy that I did not bring my horse
considering the cost, stress on the horse, distance,
and the need to do chores in cold damp weather. 

The weather was cold with rain. About half of the
training was conducted outside.  The instructors were
well qualified by experience and their approach was
applied and practical.  We spent much of the outdoor
work in applications of GPS units.  The Garmin Rino
120 was used for instruction. Those who had used other
systems said that the Rino 120 was easy to use and
powerful.  The school had obtained the units online at
a volume discount.  The units worked fine.  However,
Garmin has not authorized any on-line distributors so
it is a case of buyer beware.  Check out the Garmin
web site before purchasing on-line.  According to
Garmin, some people who went to Garmin for service or
support have found the units purchased on-line to be
stolen, etc.   

The consensus of the people attending seemed to be
that the training was worthwhile and many are planning
on coming again next year.  Everyone seemed to be
having fun, and the event was a great networking
opportunity.  We had not had trainers from outside our
geographic area and used the training/conference to
determine if our group was deficient in any aspects of
our preparation.  We were pleased to find that we are
essentially on a par with other groups nationally.  

The opportunity to speak with vendors was helpful. 
The school plans to increase the number of vendors
next year.  

I think most people felt the price for the school was
worth the expenditure.  I would recommend it .

Lois Guyon
Member
LaSalle County Sheriff’s Mounted SAR Posse
Ottawa, IL



                
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