Mounted search and rescue

["philip easley" <easleyranch@foothill.net>]

Wow, $6,000 per year.  My wife and I have 61 on the ranch right now.
Philip Easley.......
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "irvin lichtenstein" <ilichten1@verizon.net>
To: "Mounted search and rescue" <msar-riders@lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Wednesday, December 07, 2005 12:20 PM
Subject: Re: [MSAR] MSAR - Unaffiliated Volunteer Illinois


> As in any endeavor involving people there are problems. If the group is
> affiliated with a government agency there will be rules.  Some of these
will
> make sense-- horses must be sound, riders sober on the job. Some will
> not--uniforms, breeds or sizes. This is a culture thing. Cops like
uniforms
> and big horses because experience in crowd control says this works.
>
> Nobody has any money to pay for this activity. Mounted SAR costs the
> responder lots of money and independent groups even more. Ever figure out
> what it costs to keep a horse per year? Don't forget to include all the
> costs, include the land and building maintenance if he lives at home.
> Don't be surprised if it exceeds $6000 per year plus the truck and
trailer.
>
> If a volunteer is willing to put that much in to a group plus his time and
> risking his mount and himself I don't care what he rides.  But he cannot
be
> disruptive of the group's function. Unlike dog handlers who can work a
> single dog with non-dog backup, mounted work in task groups of 2,3, or
more
> riders. If they don't get along the job doesn't get done. This also means
> that the mounts should be matched for capability during the task. My 17-2
> Percheron can slow down to match a 15H quarter horse's walk but it would
be
> easier if they were paired with similar striding animals. Putting a pair
of
> hotbloods together may also spell disaster as opposed to pairing with a
cold
> or warm blood disposition.
>
> What you ride or how you ride does not matter but you should have some
> highly visible identification on you or the horse to mark you as one of
the
> good guys.
>
> Irv Lichtenstein
>
>
>
>
>


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